Fri Apr 11 15:03:53 2008

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Toledo hires former Irish assistant Cross as head coach

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Toledo, OH (Sports Network) - The University of Toledo announced Friday that it has hired former Notre Dame assistant Gene Cross as its head men's basketball coach.

Cross has served as assistant coach/recruiting coordinator on head coach Mike Brey's staff at Notre Dame for two years, which both ended in NCAA Tournament berths for the Fighting Irish, who went 25-8 this past season. The Chicago native, who played his college ball at Illinois, takes over for Stan Joplin, who was fired last month after 12 years as Toledo head coach.

"We are very pleased that Gene Cross has agreed to join our family at the University of Toledo as the head men's basketball coach," said Toledo athletic director Mike O'Brien. "Gene has all the characteristics we are looking for in a head coach. He is a bright, hard-working young man with a great love for the game of basketball. He has been associated with programs that have been consistently outstanding on the basketball court, and also have a strong emphasis on academics and personal integrity. I think Gene is a perfect fit to lead our men's basketball program."

The Rockets went 11-19 in 2007-08, with a 7-8 mark in the Mid-American Conference. Cross has also served as an assistant at Virginia, DePaul, and Illinois-Chicago.

"I'm excited about joining the tradition of Toledo basketball," said Cross. "I look forward to building on that tradition and taking the program to the next step."