5 May 1999CONTACT: Stew Salowitz, 309-556-3206 and/or head coach Dennie Bridges, (309) 556-3345
McLeansboro's Laban Cross to Attend Illinois Wesleyan
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- McLeansboro High School's first team all-stater Laban Cross has decided to further his academic and athletic career at Illinois Wesleyan University, IWU head coach Dennie Bridges announced today.
Cross, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound guard, averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.1 steals per game as a senior, when he was named to the first team of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Class A all-state squad and was chosen as the Evansville Courier "Player of the Year."
Cross, whose career-high was 43 points in a game, was twice named his team's "Most Valuable Player" and was a three-time winner of McLeansboro's free throw shooting award. He amassed 1,439 career points for the Foxes, good for fourth at the school. McLeansboro's all-time leader is current Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan with 1,720 points. He was twice named to the Benton all-tournament team and was also an all-tourney selection and "Most Valuable Player" at the 1997 Eldorado Holiday Tournament.
Cross was chosen to play for the Class A South in this summer's IBCA all-star game and was one of six to compete in FOX Sports Chicago's "IHSA Sports Net Shootout," a 3-point shooting contest held at halftime of the March 30 Chicago Bulls-Philadelphia 76ers game.
"Laban is an outstanding recruit for Illinois Wesleyan," Bridges said. "He has a chance to become our next Korey Coon, both on and off the court. Laban has the academic and athletic credentials, along with a winning mindset, to make this happen."
Coon, a 6-foot guard who will be a senior at IWU, was a two-time second team Division III All-American and the co-winner of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin "Fred Young Most Outstanding Player" award this winter. He was elected as the GTE College Division "Academic All-America of the Year" and was a first team Academic All-America® choice after being on the second team as a sophomore. Coon was also one of 10 finalists for the 1999 Jostens Trophy, recognizing the outstanding student-athletes in Division III basketball.
Cross, a National Honor Society student who ranks in the top 6 percent of his high school class and scored 32 on his ACT test, plans to major in mathematics at IWU. He is the son of P.E. and Wilma Cross of rural Dahlgren.
About IWU Men's Basketball
The Titans were 17-9 last winter and advanced to the NCAA Division III tournament for the sixth straight season and for the 13th time in the 16 years of NCAA association. Bridges completed his 34th season at the Titan helm with a career mark of 626-304 and a league record of 402-120. The Titans won the national Division III championship in 1997 and placed third in the national tourney in 1996.
Other IWU recruits for next year include Class A all-staters Seth Hubbard (6'7", 210 lbs., forward, Normal U High), Luke Kasten (6'7", 190 lbs., forward, Hillsboro HS), and Eric Starkey (6'2", 160 lbs., guard, Milford HS).