The reuniting of Troy men’s basketball head coach Scott Cross and new associate head coach Kaleb Canales seemed destined.
“I’ve been blessed to know Coach Cross, one of my best friends in the world, for over 30 years,” Canales said. “We always talked about being together at some point and it was a blessing that it worked out now.”
After first coaching together as assistants at UT-Arlington, Canales left for an entry-level opportunity in the NBA, which over time led way to him serving as interim head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers for 23 games in 2012.
Meanwhile, Cross embarked on his journey as a college head basketball coach, first leading his alma mater, UT-Arlington, for 12 years before moving on to Troy, where he’s in his seventh season.
“I tried to hire him two years ago,” Cross said of Canales. “He was here for a week and then he got the associate head coaching job for the (Dallas) Mavericks G-League team, and I told him he needed to go do that.
“Then he let me know this year that if anything became available, he would want to do it, and I’m just very thankful it worked out.”
Now back together, it’s almost as if they never parted ways.
“He brings that positive outlook that’s contagious and something I knew that I needed and wanted to be a part of this,” Cross said. “I want him looking at everything and treating it just like a head coach.”
Canales relishes the opportunity to be involved in all aspects of the game for the Trojans.
“I don’t really like to try and focus on one detail of the game because I feel the game is like painting,” Canales said. “I mean, it’s like art, so I think you’ve got to have different brushes to make a good painting.”
Getting to know each other
Canales had just graduated high school, and Cross was a young assistant at UT-Arlington, where he starred as a player, when their paths first crossed.
A high school prospect named Hector Noyola was being shown around the college campus by Cross on a recruiting visit and it would lead to an impromptu meeting between Cross and Canales.
“Our guys were playing pick-up games and where we used to practice there was no air conditioning and it was probably 100 degrees in there,” Cross remembers. “Hector came up to me and was like, ‘Hey, do you mind if my buddy comes and watches us play while we scrimmage in here?’ I was like, ‘Sure, tell him to come on.’
“He introduced him to me and that’s the first time I met Kaleb. Somebody falls and gets the court wet, and Kaleb already had a towel and sprints out there and wipes it up. We ended up taking Hector as a walk-on and it manifested into, ‘Hey, Kaleb would love to be a part of this … would love to be a student assistant.'”
Canales was hired on as a student assistant by then head coach Eddie McCarter and the friendship between Cross and Canales quickly grew.
“He was just super energetic,” Cross said. “We worked out every morning at like 6 o’clock in the morning. He’d get me fired up every day.”
After his time as a student assistant ran out, Canales was hired as an assistant coach on the high school level in his hometown of Laredo, Texas, before returning to UT-Arlington as an assistant when a spot came open in 2003.
After UT-Arlington won the Southland Conference championship during the 2003-2004 season, Canales began pursuing his NBA dream by sending out letters to coaches to inquire how he might get his foot in the door of the league.
“I started studying some coaches that were in the league already … guys that I could relate to in terms of their path,” Canales said. “One of the biggest ones I studied was Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat coach). He started in the video room.
“I just started, you know, networking and communicating with people … just trying to get as much knowledge as I could. The video route was one that was the path at the time.”
On to the NBA
Canales landed a role as a video intern with the Portland Trail Blazers to begin his NBA journey.
“Basically, it was a room like this and there were TVs everywhere, computers everywhere, you know, watching film everywhere … from our team, the upcoming opponents, the draft, college games,” Canales explained. “I feel like I’ve been watching film for 30-plus years at every level.”
Canales eventually worked his way up to an on-court assistant in 2009 and was chosen to lead the Trail Blazers as the interim head coach in March of 2012 when Nate McMillan was fired.
The team was on a road trip when the firing took place and had an off day before taking on the Chicago Bulls.
“I was going to the gym to work out some of our young guys,” Canales said. “During one of the breaks, I check my phone and I had like over 50 text messages and phone calls.
“I’m praying that everything is OK … you just don’t know what it is when your phone blows up like that.”
The messages were from the team president and general manager at the time, calling to inform Canales he would be leading the Trail Blazers against the Bulls the following night.
“I call them back and that was the first time I had heard about it (firing),” Canales said.
“One thing led to another … it went fast for sure.”
Pro coaching debut
At the age of 32, Canales was about to become the first Mexican-American to serve as a head coach in the NBA, albeit on an interim basis.
“Yeah, it was pretty cool,” Canales said. “We’re at Chicago, who I think was the top team in the East. Like a lot of things in life, you kind of appreciate it more when you look back.
“I was so caught up in the moment at the time. I knew I needed to get the team ready to play a big game on the road.”
One would think Canales would be a bit jittery on the bench during his head coaching debut.
Instead, he never felt more at home.
“It’s probably the most peaceful I’ve ever been on a basketball court,” Canales said. “You know when players talk about being in the zone? That’s how it felt.”
Portland would win the game, 100-89, and Canales would finish out the season in charge. His record was 8-15 as an interim.
Cross has relayed the inspirational story to his team.
“I told that story to our guys to let them know that anything is possible,” Cross said. “Kaleb beat all the odds. There are very few Hispanic college basketball players, there’s very few Hispanic college coaches or NBA coaches.
“He did it and took it to the highest level, to where he was calling the timeouts as an NBA coach … the first Hispanic to ever do it.
“I want our guys to have the same outlook and mentality that anything is possible if you make your mind up and are passionate about it.”
Canales was among the candidates to become the permanent head coach of the Trail Blazers, but the job went to Terry Stotts, who was an assistant with the Dallas Mavericks.
Canales remained in Portland as an assistant for the next year before beginning a five-year stint as an assistant with Dallas. He then spent time as an assistant with the New York Knicks (2018-2020), Indiana Pacers (2020-2021) and Orlando Magic (2021-2023) of the NBA before returning to the Mavs’ organization with its G-League team.
Arriving at Troy
A year ago, Canales was the head coach of the Calgary Surge of the Canadian Elite Basketball League before accepting the job offer from Cross at Troy.
Even before reaching campus, Canales knew plenty about the program by watching videos of the Trojans over the years.
“I feel like I’ve watched probably over 75 percent of the games since Coach Cross has been here, so I kind of feel like I’ve been part of the program for a while,” Canales said.
“These student athletes have big dreams and hopefully my experiences and my journey can help them along the way.”
Canales felt the timing was right to team back up with Cross.
“He’s like my mentor and my brother kind of all wrapped in one,” Canales said. “I just have the utmost respect for him as a person, as a father and as a leader.
“I think the things he’s done here are unbelievable. I think he’s the best coach in the country.”
The Avengers
The Troy assistants work with different groups individually at times during practice sessions.
The four assigned to Canales – Victor Valdes, Kameryn Mitchell, Corbin Green and Javen Colbert – are nicknamed “The Avengers” after the comic book heroes.
“I picked Spider-Man, Corbin picked Hulk, Kameryn picked Captain America and Javon picked Iron Man,” Valdes said of their characters of choice.
“It’s just basically to make sure we hold each other accountable and just to make sure we do what we’re supposed to do and don’t take the foot off the gas.”
Valdes, a junior forward from Monterrey, Mexico, previously knew Canales from being part of the Mexico Men’s National Team. Canales has served as associate head coach of the team since 2021.
“I actually met Coach Canales when I was 17,” Valdes said. “He’s a big reason that I came to college. He influenced me a lot.
“Once I knew he was coming here, I was just so happy and so excited to have him here. He just brings a lot of energy and he’s one of us at practice. He’s always running and doing the sprints with us when we get punishments … a very vocal guy with positive energy.”
Valdes also knows he’s someone that he and the other players can confide in on and off the court.
“It’s just great having a conversation with him,” Valdes said. “If you need something … whatever you need … he will just try to make it possible.
“I think he just brings a lot to the table outside of basketball. He was actually coming my freshman year, but for some reason things didn’t work out.
“Once I knew that he was coming (this year), I was just so excited. He’s my guy.”
A new challenge
Canales is eager to work with players again on the college level.
“I feel like the pro game and the college game are more connected than ever from schemes to coverages … both ends of the floor,” Canales said. “I felt like it was just a great time in my life to get back to college and make a positive impact on the program and our students.
“These student athletes have big dreams and hopefully my experiences and my journey can help them along the way.”
Canales was asked if he’d one day like to be back in the NBA.
“You know, God has been unbelievable in my life and my coaching career,” Canales said. “I don’t know where my journey is gonna take me. We coach and teach our players to be where our feet are, and that’s where I am right now and just locked in.
“But you know, long term, if it’s a college head coach or back in the NBA as head coach, obviously I’d be open to whatever situation God puts in front of us.”
