Like it or not, West Bladen basketball’s best – Coach Cross – gets what’s deserved | Baxley
Ken F. Cross Gymnasium.
It’s there in big, purple letters inside West Bladen High School.
That’s something I wasn’t sure I would ever see at my alma mater. It’s a sad thought, but one that has weighed on my mind since former West Bladen basketball coach Ken Cross resigned in 2011 because of the school’s poor administrative leadership.
In a decade with the Knights, Cross had just one losing season – his first when the school opened in 2001. In 2008, Cross led the program to a 30-2 record, including the school’s first state championship in any sport.
The gym that featured standing-room-only crowds and a crowd of championship celebrations now bears his name.
It’s about time.
More than 70 people arrived at West Bladen on Sunday to celebrate Cross, who looked up to see his name above the concession stand between the two gym entrances.
“I’m honored beyond belief with this,” said Cross, who won nearly 75% of his games at West Bladen, finishing with a 202-69 record.
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Over the course of 50 years on the sidelines, Cross has won more than 660 games.
His intensity on and off the court could rub people the wrong way, but you never had to guess how he was feeling about something. In that raspy, New Jersey accent, Cross would ask anyone and everyone, “How ya doin’?”
“I lived near New York City – went to many (New York) Yankee games,” Cross said. “But I would not trade Bladen County for New York. The people are nice … I love Bladen County. I think a lot of people love me – I hope so.”
He was never one to sugarcoat anything and the truth can be tough for some folks to handle. It didn’t matter who your parents were or who you knew.
“I never would – never will – play favorites,” Cross said. “I play winners. If you want to win, you’re gonna be on my team. … Either you can play or you can’t.”
Even as a health teacher, Cross was exceptional. When you walked into his classroom, the whiteboard would be filled with notes from top to bottom, all the way across.
As for test grades, no one received a perfect grade of 100, because — as Cross likes to say – no one is perfect.
The banners, rings and trophies are tangible evidence of what Cross accomplished at West Bladen. What isn’t seen is the path to that success and Cross’ daily commitment to excellence.
Blowout win on a Friday night? Good job. See you on Saturday morning for practice.
Win or lose, conditioning was going to be included in the practice plan. If you won, you had 30 minutes of running the stairs. If you lost, you had 45.
I was only late to one practice in my high school and college career. As a team captain, I figured stopping for gas on the way – and being a bit late because of it — wouldn’t be a big deal.
Wrong. As soon as I walked into the practice gym, five minutes late, Cross looked at me and told me to make my way to the stairs. Forty-five minutes later, I joined the team on the court.
That’s just one example of Cross being committed to the pursuit of excellence in everything. Perfection isn’t realistic, but the closer you get to perfection, the closer you’ll get to reaching your goals.
Cross cut out newspaper clippings with box scores from high school basketball games across the region to help him put together handwritten scouting reports before every game. He invited former players from West Bladen and Tar Heel to practice in an effort to better prepare his current squad.
“The only way you get better at something is to meet tough situations,” Cross said. “Know how to get out of it.”
Cross is “big on sayings” with a seemingly-endless stream of catch-phrases. “God, family, books and basketball” tops that list, followed by, “Do what’s right, do your best and treat others the way you want to be treated.”
Faith Inman, a team manager across multiple sports and student under Cross, heard it time after time.
“Nobody prepared me like this man right here to deal with the real world, deal with long hours, but have perseverance and keep your priorities straight,” Inman said. “. … Coach, I’m glad you’re getting your roses.”
Wayne McDonald, a former player who started the 2007-08 season on the JV squad and ended it as a starter in the state championship, reiterated another longtime Cross maxim: Togetherness equals success.
“His dedication to the sport and his athletes was truly exceptional and it left a lasting mark on all of us,” McDonald said. “. … The gym will serve as a lasting tribute to the values and principles Coach Cross instilled in us — dedication, teamwork, perseverance and the pursuit of excellence.”
To those who made the vision a reality – from Inman and Nathan Priest spearheading the project to members of the Bladen County Board of Education who voted to move the project forward – thank you for seeing it through.
“The outcome, we didn’t really know what it would be,” said Priest, a starter for the 2008 state championship squad.
“But here we are.”
For those who stood in the path as obstacles, I’m glad you get to see Ken F. Cross Gymnasium every time you stand in line at the concession stand or make your way into the gym.
Like it or not, it’s there … in big, purple letters.
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Former West Bladen basketball coach Ken Cross has gym named after him
