What was your dream growing up? A lot of kids dreamed of being like Mike, some got the Iverson braids, others put on the headband like the kid from Akron.
Do you remember counting down from five in your backyard to pretend like you were hitting a buzzer beater to win the NBA Finals? I bet sometimes that shot wouldn’t fall but three more seconds were magically added to the countdown every time that you would grab the rebound.
Athletes set goals for themselves. How else would they evaluate their success? No matter how big or small those goals may be, they always start with a dream.
Several years ago, a young kid from Arlington, Texas, had a very unique dream, and he is getting closer to turning it into a reality.
“My dream was always to play for and win a championship with my dad,” said Austin Cross, a freshman guard on Troy’s men’s basketball team and the son of head coach Scott Cross. “He’s a great coach, and throughout my life, I have always admired his teams.
“The players and coaches that he has worked with have really inspired me throughout my life.”
Austin Cross began playing organized basketball in the first grade, and he hasn’t looked back since.
When his dad, Scott Cross, took the head coaching job for the men’s basketball team at Troy, Austin started his high school basketball career at Pike Liberal Arts School down the road.
Cross won back-to-back state championships in 2021 and 2022 with Pike Lib after averaging 14 and 21 points per game, respectively. In his senior season, Cross transferred to Charles Henderson High School, where he averaged 23 points per game to lead the Trojans to the state championship game. Although he fell short of adding another state championship to his bookshelf, Cross was named the 2023 AHSAA 5A Player of the Year.
This season, Austin joins his dad as a member of the Troy Trojans’ men’s basketball team. Scott Cross has established Troy as one of the most consistent programs in the Sun Belt Conference, winning over 20 games in each of his first three seasons at the helm.
Cross was asked about having Austin with him this season at the team’s media day, and he brought up something that a lot of people might overlook.
“It’ll be great on the road because you have to spend so much time away from family during the season,” Cross said.
Cross mentioned they are currently leaning towards redshirting Austin to give him an extra year to mature and develop. Cross also noted the dangers in doing so.
“It’s hard to redshirt guys now with the transfer portal and NIL, but if we can’t keep Austin Cross for all five years then I need to take a long, hard look in the mirror,” Cross said.
The Trojans’ season begins on Monday, Nov. 4 at Trojan Arena. Troy will welcome the Toledo Rockets as part of the annual MAC-SBC challenge, and tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Trojan Arena.
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