Mountain Hawk Hoops Pros Spotlight: Kahron Ross
1/5/2021 2:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Support, Features, Flight 45, Intellectual Development
Over the course of the 2020-21 school year, Lehighsports.com will be catching up with several former Mountain Hawks under head coach Brett Reed who have gone on to play professionally. We continue with Kahron Ross '18.
By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
Lehigh men's basketball's all-time assist leader Kahron Ross came to Bethlehem from Jonesboro, Arkansas.
He was used to living a plane ride from home, so wasn't fazed when a chance to play professional basketball in an entirely different country presented itself.
"Off the court, I think the easiest [transition to professional basketball] was being far away from home again and so far from my family," said Ross. "I was used to it after four years at Lehigh."
On that court, Ross' play has translated to the professional ranks as well. Today, Ross is a standout for the Cheshire Phoenix in the British Basketball League. He is currently averaging 19.8 points and 5.8 assists in a team-high 38.8 minutes per contest. Ross was named to the BBL's first All-Star Five of the season and on Tuesday (Jan. 5), was named the BBL Show Player of the Week.
England is year three of Ross' professional journey. His professional opportunities arose following a historic four-year career, in which he became the program's first-ever four-time All-Patriot League honoree. Ross still owns the program records for assists in a game (14), season (194) and career (660), while his 1,368 career points are 16th in program history.
That success only affirmed to Ross that he could take his game to the next level.
"To be honest, it was before Lehigh when I was thinking I could go pro, but it really set in when I started having success in college and winning awards," he said.
After graduating in 2018, Ross' first stop was Germany.
"Picking an agent is the first thing you have to do in the process, but it's also one of the hardest things you have to do," he said. "You have to choose someone who you trust has connections, and you have to do it in a timely manner.
"As soon as you're done with your last college game, agents start hitting you up. You have to narrow it down and find the right agent, then it's basically all in your agent's hands. You just have to stay ready and stay sharp."
Ross' rookie season came with the PS Karlsruhe Lions in Germany's ProA League. He stayed true to what he does best, while continuing to improve other areas of his game.
"I always see myself as a pass-first point guard, getting guys involved and getting guys their shots on time and on target," said Ross. "I always try to improve every summer in some aspect of my game. Overseas, I've improved in scoring the basketball. Being aggressive in scoring the ball will only open up the opportunities to play-make as well. I've been trying to continue elevating my game and continue getting better in all aspects."
To continue growing, Ross knew he needed to elevate his (already strong game) against much different types of opponent.
"The biggest adjustment I had to make was my body and getting strong in the right places," he said. "You're playing with grown men. You're a rookie playing with 35+ year olds. The biggest adjustment was the physicality of it all."
Ross acclimated quite admirably. After averaging 8.9 points and 4.4 assists in Germany, Ross went on to Albania for his second season in 2019-20, playing for Vllaznia in the Albanian SuperLiga.
"I was only there a few months, though, because of the COVID-19 pandemic," he said.
Now, Ross finds himself in the BBL, which has seen multiple Mountain Hawk alums over the years, including most recently, Mackey McKnight and Jesse Chuku.
"It's a great spot for me in a great organization," said Ross. "I'm glad I chose to come here. It's been everything I expected it to be. There's a lot of competition and a lot of good teams from top to bottom."
Ross admitted the style of play in England is similar to Germany.
"There are a lot of guys who played in high-major colleges who are in this league now," he said. "I could say the same for Germany. It's a step higher than Albania, but I'm still thankful I played there because I needed to at the time."
Ross' entire past, including his time at Lehigh, has played an important role in getting him where he is today.
"Being a leader is a big part of being a point guard – not just leading vocally, but also leading by example," said Ross. "Coach Reed really helped me in that aspect as far as being vocal, so when I got overseas, it was a little more normal to me. It was an easy adjustment."
Head coach Brett Reed and the entire Mountain Hawks' staff play an important role in so many graduates going on to play professionally (nearly 20 in Reed's first 13 season as Lehigh head coach).
"You have to give the coaching staff a lot of credit," said Ross. "They do a really good job of recruiting players who have that mindset of wanting to play at the highest level, whether that's in the NBA, EuroLeague or anywhere professionally. It's a credit to the coaching staff that so many guys are now playing professionally."
Ross hopes his professional career is just beginning. No matter how things play out in the future, he's truly living in the present.
"I want to play for as long as I possibly can until I can't play anymore," he said. "If that's 35, 40 or however old I am, I just want to keep playing for as long as possible.
"I try not to look too far ahead," Ross continued. "I try to take it one year at a time and enjoy the moment."
By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
Lehigh men's basketball's all-time assist leader Kahron Ross came to Bethlehem from Jonesboro, Arkansas.
He was used to living a plane ride from home, so wasn't fazed when a chance to play professional basketball in an entirely different country presented itself.
"Off the court, I think the easiest [transition to professional basketball] was being far away from home again and so far from my family," said Ross. "I was used to it after four years at Lehigh."
On that court, Ross' play has translated to the professional ranks as well. Today, Ross is a standout for the Cheshire Phoenix in the British Basketball League. He is currently averaging 19.8 points and 5.8 assists in a team-high 38.8 minutes per contest. Ross was named to the BBL's first All-Star Five of the season and on Tuesday (Jan. 5), was named the BBL Show Player of the Week.
.@ByAnyMeans_3 made the first All-Star Five of the season. Not too shabby. 💪 #LehighFamily https://t.co/FJeOInfS1R
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) November 11, 2020
England is year three of Ross' professional journey. His professional opportunities arose following a historic four-year career, in which he became the program's first-ever four-time All-Patriot League honoree. Ross still owns the program records for assists in a game (14), season (194) and career (660), while his 1,368 career points are 16th in program history.
That success only affirmed to Ross that he could take his game to the next level.
"To be honest, it was before Lehigh when I was thinking I could go pro, but it really set in when I started having success in college and winning awards," he said.
After graduating in 2018, Ross' first stop was Germany.
Rookie year ✅ pic.twitter.com/iKNISjIhX2
— Kahron Ross (@ByAnyMeans_3) April 18, 2019
"Picking an agent is the first thing you have to do in the process, but it's also one of the hardest things you have to do," he said. "You have to choose someone who you trust has connections, and you have to do it in a timely manner.
"As soon as you're done with your last college game, agents start hitting you up. You have to narrow it down and find the right agent, then it's basically all in your agent's hands. You just have to stay ready and stay sharp."
Ross' rookie season came with the PS Karlsruhe Lions in Germany's ProA League. He stayed true to what he does best, while continuing to improve other areas of his game.
"I always see myself as a pass-first point guard, getting guys involved and getting guys their shots on time and on target," said Ross. "I always try to improve every summer in some aspect of my game. Overseas, I've improved in scoring the basketball. Being aggressive in scoring the ball will only open up the opportunities to play-make as well. I've been trying to continue elevating my game and continue getting better in all aspects."
To continue growing, Ross knew he needed to elevate his (already strong game) against much different types of opponent.
"The biggest adjustment I had to make was my body and getting strong in the right places," he said. "You're playing with grown men. You're a rookie playing with 35+ year olds. The biggest adjustment was the physicality of it all."
Ross acclimated quite admirably. After averaging 8.9 points and 4.4 assists in Germany, Ross went on to Albania for his second season in 2019-20, playing for Vllaznia in the Albanian SuperLiga.
"I was only there a few months, though, because of the COVID-19 pandemic," he said.
Some highlights of new @CheshireNix man Kahron Ross. pic.twitter.com/r6NY1UTdDA
— bbl fix (@BblFix) July 16, 2020
Now, Ross finds himself in the BBL, which has seen multiple Mountain Hawk alums over the years, including most recently, Mackey McKnight and Jesse Chuku.
"It's a great spot for me in a great organization," said Ross. "I'm glad I chose to come here. It's been everything I expected it to be. There's a lot of competition and a lot of good teams from top to bottom."
Ross admitted the style of play in England is similar to Germany.
"There are a lot of guys who played in high-major colleges who are in this league now," he said. "I could say the same for Germany. It's a step higher than Albania, but I'm still thankful I played there because I needed to at the time."
Ross' entire past, including his time at Lehigh, has played an important role in getting him where he is today.
"Being a leader is a big part of being a point guard – not just leading vocally, but also leading by example," said Ross. "Coach Reed really helped me in that aspect as far as being vocal, so when I got overseas, it was a little more normal to me. It was an easy adjustment."
Head coach Brett Reed and the entire Mountain Hawks' staff play an important role in so many graduates going on to play professionally (nearly 20 in Reed's first 13 season as Lehigh head coach).
"You have to give the coaching staff a lot of credit," said Ross. "They do a really good job of recruiting players who have that mindset of wanting to play at the highest level, whether that's in the NBA, EuroLeague or anywhere professionally. It's a credit to the coaching staff that so many guys are now playing professionally."
Ross hopes his professional career is just beginning. No matter how things play out in the future, he's truly living in the present.
"I want to play for as long as I possibly can until I can't play anymore," he said. "If that's 35, 40 or however old I am, I just want to keep playing for as long as possible.
"I try not to look too far ahead," Ross continued. "I try to take it one year at a time and enjoy the moment."
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