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 Marty
Gross is in his first season as assistant men’s basketball
coach at Wichita State.
Gross, one of the most highly respected assistant coaches in
the country, comes to Wichita State after 17 years at Rice,
including the last 15-straight seasons.
He just completed his 30th college season, and has been
instrumental in cultivating the careers of 31 pros, 21 from
Rice, including Mike Wilks of the Seattle SuperSonics and
Brent Scott formerly of the Indiana Pacers, eight from
Jacksonville, and two from Birmingham Southern College.
In addition to Rice, Gross also coached at his alma mater,
Jacksonville University. His first stint at Jacksonville was
from 1981 to 1983. Gross returned to Jacksonville in 1985 and
spent the next seven years at the campus, including three
seasons as the schools associate head coach.
In 1985-86, the Dolphins were 21-10, won the Sun Belt
Conference Championship and made an appearance in the NCAA
tournament. In 1986-87, the Dolphins were 19-11 and received
an NIT postseason bid.
At Rice, Gross coordinated recruiting and was involved
extensively in all areas of the day-to-day operations of the
men's basketball program, including fund raising, player
development, community outreach, scouting, and daily practice
with a focus on individual and team defense.
Gross began his collegiate coaching career at
Birmingham-Southern College with former Chicago Bulls coach
Murray Arnold upon graduating from Jacksonville in 1977.
During his four years in Birmingham, the Panthers were 103-27,
captured three consecutive Southern States Conference
championships, competed in two national tournaments and
achieved a national ranking as high as second in the NAIA
polls.
While at Jacksonville, Gross teamed with former New Jersey
Nets coach and current television color commentator Bob Wenzel
helping nurture the careers of six Dolphins selected in the
NBA draft. Some of his more notable players include 1986
second-round draftee Otis Smith (Denver), 1987 first-round
pick Ronnie Murphy (Portland), 1990 first-round selection and
NBA Slam Dunk Champion Dee Brown (Boston) and 1992
second-round pick Tim Burroughs (Minnesota).
Gross was a four-year letterman for Jacksonville, serving as
the team's captain as a senior in 1977. He also played on the
1974 Jacksonville NIT team, which featured four future NBA
draft selections.
He received a B.S. in management from Jacksonville in 1977,
and a M.A.T. from the University of Alabama-Birmingham in
1979. Gross is a native of Yankton, S.D., where he was an
all-state basketball player as a senior in 1973. He is a
member of the NABC, TABC, and Saint Martin's Episcopal Church.
He was born Aug. 5, 1955, in Yankton, S.D., and is married to
Mary Pat Nelson.
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