Martin Cross, a 2015 WKU graduate, enters his 11th season with the Hilltopper Basketball staff and third as an assistant coach.
Over his many years on The Hill, Cross has been instrumental in the collegiate basketball careers of in-state Hilltoppers such as Taveion Hollingsworth, Carson Williams, Dayvion McKnight and Teagan Moore amongst others. Cross has been involved with five Kentucky Mr. Basketballs in his time on staff with WKU which includes Hollingsworth, Williams, McKnight, Camron Justice and Dontaie Allen.
The Albany, Ky., native has been a part of the Hilltopper program since 2011 and has worked in some capacity under five head coaches, after being retained most recently by head coach Hank Plona.Â
Prior to Plona, Cross was retained by head coach Steve Lutz in March 2023 for his lone season on The Hill. Cross aided in the team’s on-court development that resulted in a 22-12 mark in the 2023-24 season and the program’s 24th NCAA Tournament bid and 44th conference championship. The Tops led the country in adjusted tempo (75.2 possessions per game, per KenPom) and averaged 80.2 points per game, their most since the 1994-95 season (80.4 ppg) and best in Conference USA.
Beginning with the 2020-21 season, Cross was able to have an increased role on staff with new scouting and recruiting responsibilities. The 2020-21 season brought WKU a Conference USA East Division Championship, a trip to the NIT Quarterfinals, Bad Boy Mowers Classic Runner-Up and a marquee road win over Alabama.
During the 2021-22 season, Cross assisted the rest of the coaching staff on the court in major Power Five wins over Ole Miss and Louisville in the Tops' non-conference slate. The team posted a 19-13 record and won nine of its last 10 in league action.
Cross was crucial in the player development of guard Dayvion McKnight. McKnight jumped from averaging 5.8 points and 3.8 assists per game in his freshman season of 2020-21 to averaging 16.2 points and 5.5 assists per game in his sophomore season. He went on to be named as an All-Conference USA First-Team honoree to end the year.
Throughout his tenure on The Hill, Cross has coached 12 All-Conference USA recipients, two Defensive Player of the Year winners and one Conference USA Player of the Year.
Cross served as the Hilltoppers’ Associate Director of Basketball Operations for six seasons before his current role. He assisted with opponent scouting, on-campus recruiting, coordinated the team's travel and assisted with day-to-day operations of the program. He also served as director of summer camps and oversaw the Hilltopper student-managers.
Cross spent the 2015-16 season as WKU's Video Coordinator after four years as a student-manager with the Hilltoppers, during which one of his main responsibilities was opponent and self-scouting.
Cross helped facilitate the Hilltoppers during the 2012 and 2013 NCAA Tournaments as a manager.
Cross earned his bachelor's degree from WKU in 2015. The Albany, Ky., native graduated from Russell County High School in 2011.
He and his wife Alexa reside in Bowling Green. They have one daughter, Clarke.
