Carson Cryer is a sophomore at UNC-Chapel Hill majoring in economics. He grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, and graduated from Wakefield High School in 2022, where he finished 4th all-time in assists as a 3 year member of the varsity men’s basketball program.
Cryer discusses how he dedicates his love for the game and much of his success to his father, Rich Cryer, who introduced him to the game at the age of 3. Rich pushed Carson to get better in his early years, before introducing him to rec leagues and, later on, AAU basketball. In Carson’s middle school years, his father took the reins of his AAU team, and, with Rich leading the way, Carson and his teammates found massive success in the North Carolina travel ball scene.
With many of his AAU teammates by his side, Carson joined the Wakefield High School varsity basketball program as an undersized sophomore. Although he was small, Carson surprised everyone with his quickness, deceptive athleticism, and elite ball handling.
He earned some playing time his first year, however after a growth spurt and a lot of time in the gym, Carson blossomed as a junior. He averaged 8 points, 4 assists, and 2 rebounds, earning all-conference honors. In their season opener, he delivered a clutch 13 point, 4 assist performance leading Wakefield to a win over North Lake Christian High School.
After his junior season, Carson had worked his way onto the radar of numerous. However, in a tournament in the summer heading into his senior year, his career took a massive sideways turn. While chasing down a loose ball, Carson tore his meniscus. After surgery, Carson was immobile in his bed for weeks, and ended up missing the rest of his summer season, and even missed the first few games of his senior season at Wakefield. His statistics took a hit his senior year because he was unable to get his feet back under him and his confidence back after the injury. That being said, Carson still had a few college coaches interested. After a long process, Carson made the decision to attend UNC-Chapel Hill as a student, and believed that he was walking away from organized basketball.
However, that was not the case for Cryer. After enjoying his first year as a regular student, joining numerous clubs and the Chi Psi fraternity, he found himself missing the game that defined his childhood. This past summer, Cryer worked out daily hoping to get his craft in a position to be able to make the JV Basketball team. The hard work paid off, and Cryer made the team as a crucial role player. He immediately knew he had made the right decision. Cryer loved being a part of a historic program, and found himself rapidly improving with access to the world class facilities that UNC offers. He had the opportunity to be coached by Carolina Basketball legends Sean May and Marcus Paige, and got a behind the scenes look at how the varsity players work out. Furthermore, he was able to go to every home game, and got to meet a handful of meaningful figures within the program.
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