Scott Cross Position: Head Coach Experience: 6th Year Alma Mater: UT Arlington, 1998

UT Arlington coach Scott Cross spent the first six years of his career as a head coach by generating a long list of school records, firsts and accomplishments. Known as a tireless worker, excellent recruiter and great ambassador for his program, Cross is poised to lead the men's basketball program to even greater heights.

Coach Cross has also led his alma mater into a new era, as the Mavericks have moved into the brand new, state-of-the-art College Park Center. UTA also begins a new chapter in its history on July 1, 2012 when the program moves from the Southland Conference into the Western Athletic Conference.

During his first six seasons, Coach Cross has guided the Mavericks to an appearance in both the NCAA and NIT Tournaments, won a SLC Tournament Championship in 2008, and, most recently, won the 2011-12 regular season Southland Conference Championship while recording his 100th win this season. Coach Cross was named 2012 Southland Conference Coach of the Year, 2012 NABC District 23 Coach of the Year and a 2012 Finalist for the Hugh Durham National Coach of the year.

During the 2011 off season, Coach Cross and the Mavericks played in an exhibition tour in British Columbia, Canada. The trip proved to be a tremendous confidence boost for the team, which went undefeated at 5-0 and won by an average of 45 points per game. After the successful exhibition tour, Coach Cross and the Mavericks enjoyed a record-setting 2011-12 season, posting a 24-9 record. The Mavericks had the seventh longest win streak in the country this past season winning 16 games in a row breaking the previous school record of nine. The Mavericks reached their highest RPI rating in school history and finished the season ranked 21st in the collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. LaMarcus Reed earned first-team All-Conference honors.

Cross led his team to the 2008 NCAA Tournament marking the first time in school history the Mavericks made an appearance in the annual Big Dance. The Mavericks came away with their conference title after defeating Northwestern State in the finals to punch their ticket. He led the 2008 NCAA Tournament team to a then-school record 21 victories, which also included the best start in school history with an 8-0 mark. These successes led the team to start getting noticed more around the country. During the season the Mavericks were ranked for the first time in the college insider.com Mid-Major Poll. UTA received its highest ranking of the season at No. 14 in December of that season.

The list of accomplishments continued in 2010 as the Mavericks featured Southland Conference Player of the Year Marquez Haynes, who became just the second player in school history to be honored with that award. Haynes was later named an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American, marking the first time in the program's history a player had earned that prestigious honor.

From the end of the 2007 season throughout the 2008 season, Cross led his team to a school-record 17 consecutive wins at Texas Hall.

Cross was named the head coach of his alma mater on April 21, 2006 after serving as an assistant coach for the previous eight seasons.

A three-year letter winner at UT 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 the classroom, Cross set the standard for UT Arlington 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.

Cross 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 (8), Cody (5) and Tyler (4).