Hometown hooper
Nobody from Beverly has ever made the NBA. Matt Cross has a chance to become the first.
As a big basketball fan and of course Mr. All Things Beverly, I turned on my TV the other night and saw something I wasn’t sure I’d ever see — a kid from Beverly suiting up for an NBA team.
Now Beverly has always been a pretty good basketball town, and has had its share of great players like Peter Wynne, who played at Syracuse. But as far as I know, we’ve never had anybody make the NBA.
But there was Matt Cross, who grew up on Garfield Avenue in Ryal Side, starting for the Dallas Mavericks in an NBA Summer League game in Las Vegas.
I realize it’s ‘only’ summer league. But I have to admit it was kind of a thrill for me to see a Beverly kid get that far. I mean, c’mon, he was taking the place of Cooper Flagg in Dallas’ starting lineup. So imagine what it’s like for his family. I called up Matt’s father, Jim Cross, who is in Las Vegas along with family and friends, to ask him. I covered Jim for The Beverly Times when he was a pretty good player himself at Beverly High School back in the day.
“It’s absolutely amazing,” Jim told me. “My wife and I looked at each other the other day and we had to pinch ourselves. It’s amazing what he’s been able to accomplish.”
“Just watching our son play out his dream is all we can ask for,” he said.
Cross is a 6-foot-7 forward who, like a lot of players in these days of NIL money and loose transfer rules, moved around a lot in college, playing for Miami, Louisville, UMass and SMU. He wasn’t picked in the NBA draft but signed with Dallas as a free agent and is getting a look during summer league.
Cross had four points and a team-high nine rebounds in 23 minutes in his first summer league appearance on Monday. Here’s a video of him being interviewed after the game. Jim said it’s hard to know where Matt stands in terms of making the Mavericks — who in addition to No. 1 overall pick Flagg have NBA stars Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving — but the point is that he’s getting a shot.
“It’s really like an audition or a tryout because you’re competing for a spot,” Jim said. “He’s learning a lot every day and competing with these guys in practice. Guys are really good at this level and he’s trying to take advantage of it.”
If he doesn’t make the team, he could end up playing in the G-League or overseas. Jim said Matt’s agent has already received inquiries from overseas teams. There’s also a chance that he could get signed by another NBA team if Dallas lets him go.
Jim said he and his wife, Cindy, got a kick the other day when Matt came out of the locker room before the game to say hi and was surrounded by security guards (security is tight for all players) and besieged by autograph seekers.
“We were giggling and laughing and saying, ‘How cool is that?’” Jim said.
In addition to Jim and Cindy, Matt’s supporters in Las Vegas include his brother, Nick; his uncle, Chris Arenburg; his best friend, Mike Cerulli, who played basketball with him at St. Mary’s of Lynn; and his girlfriend, Emely Herrera, who he met at UMass.
I almost forgot to ask. What does Matt think of Cooper Flagg?
“He’s really hit it off with Cooper the last few weeks in Dallas working out,” Jim said. “He really enjoys playing with him because Cooper has a high IQ for the game.”
As for playing against NBA-type competition, Jim said the biggest difference is the size, speed and physicality of the players.
“People probably don’t appreciate it as much watching on TV, but these guys are big and strong and banging each other around. Matt is 6-7 1/2 and he looks small out there sometimes. But Matt’s IQ is really high. He’s been told that by every college coach he’s had. And he’s really tough. You’re not going to push him around.”
The Mavs are playing again Wednesday night (8 p.m. on ESPN), and with Flagg sitting out the rest of summer league, Cross is likely to see more action.
Either way, his family will be watching, as will his hometown back in Beverly.
Love reading about our Beverly kids!!