He's A Head Coach Now: Talking With New Toledo Head Coach Gene Cross

He gave an emotional goodbye speech during Notre Dame's basketball banquet last Wednesday and afterward hung around to chat with anyone and everyone associated with the Irish.
Gene Cross is settling into his new job at Toledo, a first-time head coach in the Mid-American conference and the second former Irish assistant to be in the league, joining Ball State head coach Billy Taylor.
We chatted with Cross for a few minutes about his new job, why he chose the Rockets and where his future will lie.

Irish Insights: What attracted you to Toledo versus some of the other jobs you've been involved with?
Gene Cross: "There's a huge level of support there. The administration, the fans, they've got a great league, the MAC, it's a great so-called mid-major league. They have good players there. There are so many positives about that job that make it attractive for somebody to come in and be successful right away. When you look at jobs, you have to make sure, to quote Kevin White, 'Not a body-bag job' so to speak because you always want to have the opportunity to go in and succeed. They've had a history of success in terms of wins and losses and championships. They've just missed the NCAA tournament bid and that's the one thing they've been missing. I think that's why they brought me in, to give them that little push to get to the NCAA tournament."

II: Is that how you sold them a little bit because the other coaches they looked at had been head coaches and you weren't. Is that part of it?
GC: "Ultimately bringing a youthful exuberance, so to speak, and an energy because it needed a shot in the arm. I can't speak for the other guys but I know I was really energetic and focused on expressing to them the type of energy and passion I'd bring to the program, and discipline and a certain work ethic that comes with being good."

II: This doesn't sound like a complete overhaul job.
GC: "It's not. It's a tweak here and there. And they may be big tweaks here and there but still in all, I feel like I have the experience to do that having been at UIC, where it needed a tweak here and there, having been at DePaul in the situation where you needed a tweak here or there and Virginia the same thing, a tweak here and there not where it was a rebuild but just a different injection at each place. Even here, being able to bring a tweak to the staff here. I think I've had the experience at each place I've gone at making a change and a change for the better with all due respect to the places I've been and the coaches I've been involved with."

II: Getting the head coaching job when you did, did you just think it was time because I remember you saying you were waiting for the right job.
GC: "It's time when the right thing presents itself. If there were a job that I didn't feel like I could succeed in, Mike (Brey) wouldn't have allowed me to pursue it, Dr. White wouldn't have allowed me to pursue it and other people that I trust wouldn't have allowed me to pursue it. They knew that this was a great opportunity for me to be successful and to lead Toledo to success and hopefully I can do that."

-By Michael Rothstein of The Journal Gazette