Russell Cross attended and played basketball at
Manley High School, located on the
West Side of Chicago. He led Carver to an Illinois state title; he was selected to the
McDonald's All-American team and was also a first-team
Parade All-American; he was also the
Parade Player of the Year. The 6'10" center moved on to attend
Purdue University, where he played his freshman season under first year head coach,
Gene Keady. In his first season as a
Boilermaker, he set a freshman record with 540 points on the season and led Purdue to an
NIT third-place finish and to a 21–11 record. In his sophomore season, Cross helped lead them to the
NIT Finals with All-
Big Ten teammate,
Keith Edmonson. In his junior season, he led Purdue to a 21–9 record and onto a
Second Round NCAA Tournament appearance. Russell was named
First Team All-Big Ten his junior year. ==Professional career==