Okay, here’s something that will throw you all for a loop. Nebraska recruited another player that is 6’8”. Only this time, he’s positioned as a forward, not a guard. I am sure the 240 pounds he is packing on has something to do with that.
With that intro I give you 2019 recruit Kevin Cross. The young freshman comes to Nebraska from Little Rock, Arkansas where he played for Wilber D. Mills High School. There he averaged 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 assists per game. In his senior year he took Mills to the state title game but lost to Magnolia High school. Kevin did have a whopping 24 points in the defeat.
He was picked first team all state in Arkansas Class 4A division by the coaches and second team by the Arkansas Democrat -Gazette. Kevin was the final piece in Hoibergs first recruiting class for the Big Red.
Kevin chose the Huskers over TCU and basketball semi-blueblood Oklahoma State. I agree that OSU has not fielded a top basketball team in some time but they do have somewhat of a history. Especially compared to Nebraska. Thus, I throw them in the “semi-blueblood” category.
I’ll let you aficionados argue the above statement for your own entertainment. Well, my entertainment but i digress.
Kross was a late bloomer in the high school basketball world so the offers really did not come in until his senior year of high school. He is a talented shooter that should do well in Hoibergs offense. Kevin played well during the Huskers trip to Italy coming on strong with a 13 point game to start the trip off. After that his scoring trailed down to just two points in each of the next two games. However, he did bounce back with 10 points in the final win.
Italy was a trip that had the Huskers face off against what was deemed by the media as lesser talent on a few scales. This makes those number hard to put into place when you get into the regular season.
I would expect Fred trying to develop Kevin early in the games. If not, he could see the bench this year to develop himself better into the system. However, Big Ten pay means bigger players and circumstance might lead to him filling the paint.