Tom Cross to Stay on Memphis Women's Basketball Staff

University of Memphis women's basketball assistant Tom Cross has announced today that he has accepted an offer by new head coach Blair Savage-Lansden to become the Associate Head Coach of the Tigers.

Cross joined the staff last season after spending five seasons with the WNBA's Detroit Shock. Cross joined the Shock as a staff assistant from the inception of the team in 1998. He was promoted to assistant coach beginning with the 1999 WNBA season, before being elevated to assistant coach/director of scouting after the completion of the 2000 WNBA season.

Considered an excellent evaluator of talent, Cross has scouted prospects in North America, South America, Europe, Australia and Asia. During his two years as director of scouting, the Shock selected Deanna Nolan and Swin Cash with their first-round picks. A tribute to Cross' ability to scout talent, Cash and Nolan were both 2003 WNBA All-Stars.

Prior to joining the professional ranks, Cross worked as an administrative intern at Game Plan, Inc., a Miami, Fla., based marketing firm that was responsible for producing and selling sponsorships for the University of Miami's football coach's show. While employed with Game Plan, Cross completed his master's degree in sports administration from St. Thomas University in Miami in 1998.

Cross, 31, earned his bachelor's degree in government from the University of Texas at Austin in 1995. He played one season of Division II basketball at Abilene Christian University during the 1991-92 season before transferring to UT.

He is married to the former Jae Kingi of Australia, who is currently a point guard for the Detroit Shock. The couple has two daughters, Jenisha (5) and Taylor Leigh, who was born in August 2003.