UT Arlington Head Basketball Coach Scott Cross is in his second season on the job, but already he's turning heads.
“Obviously we're not there yet,” says Cross. “We're a long ways from it, but we're headed in the right direction.”
Friday night, the Mavericks beat Wichita State, escaping with a 1-point victory when Brandon Long hit the game winner with 6.3-seconds left, to keep a perfect start to their season alive. The game was played in front of the biggest road crowd of the year.
After the game, Cross said “I've been here for over a decade, thirteen something years as a player and a coach, and I'd say without a doubt, this is definitely the biggest win since I've been around. Sports Information Director, Bill Pettit, was saying it was the biggest win in the history of the program.
It’s big because UT Arlington is a perfect 8-and-0. That's the best start in school history and leaves them just one short of the school's longest winning streak of 9.
“I really never won more than three games in High School, so winning eight or more than eight games, I mean it actually feels good especially since we're making history,” says Center Jermaine Griffin.
“It is early, but it means a lot,” says Guard Rod Epps. “It feels good to make tradition like this. Hopefully we can extend it a little bit more.”
“It’s exciting for us because last year we had kind of bad season,” says Forward Larry Posey. “Before the season, we worked real hard, and we told ourselves that we were going to give it our all, and for me I'm a senior, so it’s my last time to go around.”
“It’s been a struggle but it’s not what everybody things,” says Cross. “This school, I think is a diamond in the rough and a sleeping giant.”
UT Arlington is one of fourteen schools still undefeated around the country. They play TCU on Monday, then Oklahoma State the following Saturday. So for this streak to get longer, life on the road will not get easier.
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