Men's Basketball
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It took Scott Cross just two years to do what no other coach had done in the 49 years of UT Arlington basketball - winning the Southland Conference Tournament and advancing to the NCAA Tournament. Cross guided the Mavericks to the Big Dance in 2007-08, winning three games in the Southland Conference Tournament.
It was a dream come true for Cross, a player and assistant coach at UT Arlington before taking on the job of leading the Mavericks as head coach. Cross has proven to be a tireless worker, excellent recruiter and determined ambassador for the program.
"Going to the tournament last year was especially rewarding for me because I've put so much into the program for so many years," Cross said.
Cross' success came in many forms last season considering the second-year head coach not only led his squad to the program's second ever postseason appearance (NIT, 1981), but he also guided the Mavericks to a school-record 21 victories. In addition, Cross and the Mavericks continued their winning ways at Texas Hall winning a school-record 17 consecutive games, which included the final three home games of 2006-07 and the first 14 home games this past season.
In 2008-09, Cross helped guide UT Arlington to the best start in program history with an 8-0 record. The national media started to take notice of the sudden accomplishments happening in Arlington, as the Mavs received a ranking for the first-time ever in The Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Poll. UT Arlington received its highest ranking in the poll at No. 14 in the country on Dec. 10, 2007.
Cross finally got the chance to be the head coach at his Alma Mater on April 21, 2006. Cross had served the previous eight seasons as an assistant coach on the Mavericks staff.
A three-year letter winner at Texas-Arlington from 1995-98, Cross gained the reputation as both a fierce competitor on the court and a scholar-athlete off the basketball floor. As a player, Cross appeared in 82 games for UTA, including 58 in the starting lineup. As a senior, Cross averaged 11.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, while converting a team-high 41.5 percent of his three-point shots, second best in the Southland Conference. In addition, Cross poured in 21 consecutive free throws (three shy of the UTA record) and was ranked as high as seventh in the NCAA in free-throw percentage.
In the classroom, Cross set the standard for UTA basketball. A two-time GTE/College Sports Information Directors of America Basketball Academic All-American, earning third team as a junior and second team honors as a senior. Cross graduated with a perfect 4.0 grade point average in marketing from UTA.
He is married to the former Jennifer Harris, who played volleyball for the Mavericks from 1995-98. The couple resides in Arlington and has three sons: Austin (4), Cody (2) and Tyler (1).
