Pacers Select 3-Time All-AAC Forward in 2024 NBAGL Draft

Indiana's G League affiliate squad made a big move.

Feb 11, 2024; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Tulane Green Wave forward Kevin Cross (24) drives to the basket as Memphis Tigers forward David Jones (8) defends during the second half at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers' G League affiliate squad, the Indiana Mad Ants,, made a big move in last week's 2024 NBA G League Draft.

The Mad Ants selected the G League rights to a pair of 6-foot-8 young forwards, in selecting former three-time All-AAC Tulane forward Kevin Cross with the No. 16 pick in its first round and former two-time All-Southland Northwestern State forward Ishmael Lane with the No. 58 pick in the second round.

Across five seasons with Nebraska and Tulane, Cross averaged 12.2 points on .457/.296/.790 shooting splits, 5.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.7 blocks a night in his 143 contests (110 starts). During his final NCAA season, 2023-24, Cross averaged a career-high 17.5 points while slashing .513/.423/.818, 7.3 rebounds, 4.6 dimes, 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocks per bout.

Lane spent four seasons with the Demons. In 117 bouts (114 starts), he averaged 12.5 points on a .528/.316/.625 slash line, 7.2 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 0.9 assists and 0.7 steals a night.

There's no guarantee that Cross or Lane will ever play a game for the Mad Ants. But if they can't secure a spot with an NBA club proper, and want to try to prove their mettle with the best opportunity possible of nabbing an opportunity in the league, the Mad Ants will get the first crack at their services.

Last year, the Mad Ants went 21-13 in the regular season under the franchise's seventh head coach, Tom Hankins. The team fell to the Philadelphia 76ers' NBAGL affiliate squad, the Delaware Blue Coats, 123-101, in the first round of the 2024 playoffs. Point guard Quenton Jackson led the club in scoring with 22.3 points on .556/.321/.781 shooting splits, along with 5.4 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.7 steals. The 6-foot-5 point guard out of Texas A&M has appeared in just one game for the Pacers this year, playing just four mop-up minutes.

Power forward Jarace Walker had a pretty productive run with the club in 2023-24, too, averaging 21.0 points on .460/.378/.833 shooting splits, 5.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.9 blocks per bout. Walker was selected with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft out of the University of Houston by the Washington Wizards, and was acquired by Indiana for the rights to No. 7 pick Bilal Coulibaly, along with a pair of future second round picks. He played just 33 games in Indiana last year, and was essentially toggled between the club's G League system and Indiana proper as an end-of-bench piece. He hasn't made much of an impact on the Pacers thus far this season, averaging 3.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in seven bouts a night.

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