UIC Athletics

At UIC, Cross has assisted Head Coach Jimmy Collins in revitalizing the Flames program, helping guide the team to its first two NCAA Tournament appearances in school history.

In 1998, UIC tied the school record with 22 wins and captured the Midwestern Collegiate Conference regular-season title. The Flames[apos] success that season, which included wins over conference champions Michigan State (Big 10), Illinois State (Missouri Valley) and Valparaiso (Mid-Continent), helped them earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Then last season, UIC won 20 games and claimed the inaugural Horizon League Tournament title, advancing to the NCAA Tournament where they fell to eventual Final Four participant, Oklahoma.

In the same mold as Collins, Cross has strong ties in and around the Chicagoland area and the state of Illinois. These ties have been integral in maintaining the deep-rooted relationships Collins built and cultivated during his years as an assistant coach at Illinois. Cross played a significant role in landing UIC?s most heralded recruiting class in 2000, which included the signing of Public Leaguers Aaron Carr, Will Lewis and Armond Williams as well as the talented Westinghouse duo of Martell Bailey and Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year Cedrick Banks. Cross continued to help add talent to the Flames roster last season with the signing of Josh Williams out of Whitney Young High School

The 2000 class has already made an immediate impact on the floor for UIC. Last season, Cedrick Banks led the team in scoring en route to being named to the All-Horizon League Second Team and All-Horizon League Newcomer Team. He also garnered Horizon League Tournament MVP honors after averaging 18.0 ppg and hitting the game-winning jumper in the title contest versus Loyola. Martell Bailey has also been a force for UIC, earning All-Horizon League Newcomer Team honors last year after finishing second in the league in assists.

Cross played four seasons of basketball at the University of Illinois for Head Coach Lou Henson, who is currently the head coach at New Mexico State, Collins and fellow UIC assistant Mark Coomes from 1990-94 and helped the Illini to two NCAA Tournament appearances. Away from the basketball court, Cross served two years as chairperson for the Buddy Program Core Committee (for incoming African-American students) and was also a speaker for the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics[apos] Hometown Heroes program.

After receiving his bachelor[apos]s degree in history from Illinois in 1994, Cross worked briefly for Busey Bank and Cunningham Children[apos]s Home in Urbana before enrolling in the master[apos]s program at The Ohio State University. While at Ohio State, Cross worked as a Graduate Administrative Associate in the Department of Recreation and Intramural Sports where he was in charge of informal campus recreation. He also served as an assistant varsity basketball coach at Marion-Franklin High School of the Columbus Public League. Additionally, Cross was also head coach of Marion-Franklin[apos]s freshman team.

Cross, who completed his master[apos]s degree in Sport Management in August of [apos]96 at Ohio State, is a native of Chicago who played his prep basketball at Rich Central High School under IBCA Hall of Fame Coach Ron Brauer. Cross serves as Vice President on the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Assistant Coaches Board and he is also a member of the Black Coaches Association. Additionally, Cross served on a specially formed NABC Basketball Issues Reform Panel that advised the NCAA on pressing issues in college basketball related to recruiting and the new recruiting model, amateurism and gambling. Cross and his wife, Nichole, currently reside in Oak Park, Ill.