Special moments often occur when least expected. Think about Cleveland’s comeback in the 2016 Finals, Tracy McGrady going for 13 points in 35 seconds, and countless other upsets, Cinderella runs, and notable performances. Sure, every kid wants to enjoy unprecedented individual feats, but very few have the ability to actually do so. Which is why Jaylen Cross going for 70 points was legitimately the most incredible event of the travel ball season.
The number itself should be astonishing to the masses. 70 points is absolutely ridiculous in any context. Critics will always try to diminish these types of remarkable accomplishments, but no opinion holds merit unless they watched it happen and could truly understand the magnitude of what unfolded. Before diving into the historic showing, let’s take a look at the rest of Cross’ weekend with Team D.Will.
Opening up the weekend with point totals of 30, 32, 19, and 31, Cross was extraordinary whenever he took the court. Given how impressive he’s been all travel ball season, some still yearned to see him be more aggressive as an offensive focal point. Well, the championship contest against a noteworthy opponent (with numerous high-level prospects) made the perfect stage for Cross to put on a show.
Things opened up and the pure annihilation started immediately. After hitting his first two three-pointers, it was evident this was going to be a long game for the opposition. However, it’s unlikely that anyone could’ve predicted the events that followed:
- Scores the first 22 points
- Scores 42 of the first 46 points
- Scores 50 points by halftime in 15:30 (outscoring the opponent by 23)
- Scores 70 points with 12 three-pointers on insane efficiency (exiting the game with four minutes remaining)
Cross put forth the most noteworthy performance of the summer and still walked off the court as the humblest player in the gym. Between coaches, teammates, and spectators, there was nothing but pure excitement swirling through the building. Even the opposing team couldn’t express anything other than kudos to Cross. For the “Well, we would’ve stopped allowing him to score or touch the ball” camp–they tried. They explored every avenue. It didn’t matter who defended him, how often they doubled, or how physical they played, Cross was seriously unstoppable.
While the point total alone is amazing, it’s worth noting that the vast majority of these scores were extremely high-level buckets, both degree of difficulty and from a shot creation standpoint. Meanwhile, Cross still shined as a leader. Our Founder Rick Lewis watched courtside, stating, “he should be a top 100 [or higher] prospect across all national outlets. I was highly impressed.” Given his current ranking on two major sites (99 for On3, 100 for 247), it’s only a matter of time before he climbs up the boards and starts warranting attention as one of the top players in the country. He’s a special player, but an even better person, and should be a priority for basically every college program. Expect Cross to keep trending upward for the foreseeable future.