Reggie Cross
Reginald Gene Cross | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 12, 1966 |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player (retired) |
| Years active | 1987–1996 |
| Known for | Collegiate basketball at Miami Dade Sharks and Hawaii Rainbow Warriors; drafted by Philadelphia 76ers in 1989 NBA draft |
Reginald Gene Cross (born August 12, 1966) is a retired American professional basketball athlete. He competed at the collegiate level for the Miami Dade Sharks and the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. Although Cross was chosen by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1987 NBA draft, he never appeared in an official National Basketball Association (NBA) game. Instead, his professional career spanned the American Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and leagues in France, Spain, and Turkey. Notably, Cross holds the distinction of being the latest Hawaii Rainbow Warriors player to be drafted into the NBA.
College career
Cross gained recognition as a talented player at South Plantation High School in Plantation, Florida, attracting several NCAA Division I scholarship offers. Initially, academic challenges prevented him from enrolling directly, so he spent two years competing at Miami Dade. During his sophomore season, he received All-State accolades and was highlighted by Basketball Weekly as one of the premier junior college transfers. In 1986, he accepted a scholarship from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, an institution that had pursued him since his high school days. To fulfill academic prerequisites, Cross attended Leeward Community College for the 1986–87 year while balancing full-time employment alongside his studies.
Cross made his debut with the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors in the 1987–88 season, posting an average of 15.7 points per game. In his final collegiate year (1988–89), he elevated his scoring to 18.6 points per contest and guided Hawaii to its first postseason appearance since 1974. His achievements earned him First Team All-WAC recognition and the title of Hawaii's most valuable player for both seasons. His standout showing at an All-Star event in Japan further captured NBA interest, resulting in invitations to multiple NBA tryout camps.
Professional career
In the 1989 NBA draft, Cross was picked 44th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers but was released on October 19, 1989. Shortly thereafter, on December 2, 1989, he signed with Israeli squad Hapoel Haifa, where he played until April 1990. Cross participated in training camp with the Orlando Magic in 1990 but did not secure a spot on their final roster. During the 1990–91 season, he spent part of his time competing in Spain for Grupo IFA Granollers, taking over from Tom Sheehey, before concluding that season in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) with stints at both the Grand Rapids Hoops and Yakima Sun Kings.
The following year (1991–92), Cross joined French outfit Le Mans Sarthe prior to returning stateside in 1992 to play for the Palm Beach Stingrays in the United States Basketball League (USBL) and subsequently for the Columbus Horizon of the CBA. Afterward, he attended training camp with the Washington Bullets, though time away due to a family illness impacted his participation. In June 1993, Cross competed with the Winnipeg Thunder of Canada’s National Basketball League after having been listed on the roster of the Montreal Dragons. From 1993 through 1996, he spent three seasons playing professionally in Turkey.
College
|- | style="text-align:left;"| 1987–88 | style="text-align:left;"| Hawaii | 29 || – || 33.9 || .477 || .500 || .730 || 8.6 || 1.1 || 1.1 || .2 || 15.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1988–89 | style="text-align:left;"| Hawaii | 30 || – || 33.6 || .529 || – || .767 || 8.1 || 1.0 || 1.4 || .6 || 18.6 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 59 || – || 33.7 || .506 || .500 || .749 || 8.3 || 1.0 || 1.3 || .4 || 17.2
Personal life
During his time at Miami Dade, Cross welcomed his first child, a daughter.[1] He and her mother, Gwenell, entered into marriage in 1986.[1] His second child, a son, arrived in the course of his initial year playing for Hawaii.[1]