by Vlad Ionasc
Last week, the Cheshire Phoenix confirmed the signing of former Lehigh point-guard Kahron Ross. I had the pleasure of interviewing Kahron ahead of his arrival at the EPSV.
Ross is the all-time leader in career assists for Lehigh and the entire Patriot League Conference. He became the first player in school history to be named All-Patriot League all four years (third-team All-League as a freshman, first-team as a sophomore, second-team as a junior and senior).
Following the end of his collegiate career, Ross continued his basketball journey by turning pro in Europe. He spent his rookie season in Germany, playing for PS Karlsruhe before joining the Albanian side, Vllaznia Shkodra, in his second year as a pro. Unfortunately, his time in Albania was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.
I asked Ross about his time at Lehigh, his friendship with Charlotte Hornets guard Malik Monk, his proudest basketball achievement to date and many more!
I also presented him with the toughest question of all-time…Indian or Chinese?
Q&A below
Kahron, first of all, welcome to the Cheshire Phoenix! How excited are you to be part of the organisation?
Glad to be apart of the team! I’m very excited and can’t wait until the season starts.
You said that you had a very good conversation over the phone with head coach Ben Thomas, can you reveal what Ben said to you and how he convinced you to sign with Cheshire?
We just had a very candid conversation about basketball and life off the court as well. We talked about my background and everything in my life leading up to this point in basketball. I think the relationship between the point guard and coach is very important and we’ll have no problem with that.
For the Nix fans that haven’t seen you play yet, how would you describe your game? What type of player are you?
I’m a true point guard who does whatever it takes to win. Im a team first guy and I enjoy creating for others just as much as scoring for myself.
You’ve been a pro for two years now, playing in Germany and Albania, what can you tell us about those experiences?
Germany was great! I always hear about how guys’ rookie year isn’t always what they expected, but I was blessed and lucky enough to go to a organization that was the perfect fit for me. Albania was a great experience as well. It was a little different to Germany size wise, but the staff and players all welcomed we with open arms. I only played half a season there but I enjoyed my time while I was there.
Did you manage to pick up any German and/or Albanian?
Just a little ? I can’t hold a conversation but I know a few greetings haha.
Let’s talk about your time at college. You went to Lehigh University where you played 123 games for the Mountain Hawks. What was that experience like?
It was a great experience! Lehigh was about 16 hours from where I lived, so it was my first time being that far from home but I loved the challenge. Coach Reed trusted me and gave me the keys to the offense my freshman year and that alone helped my confidence and pushed me to go even harder.
What did you study while playing basketball?
Sociology and Theatre.
You were awarded the Patriot League Rookie of the Year in 2015 and then made the First Team in 2016. Are those your proudest basketball achievements to date?
Those were great achievements but the one I wanted the most was winning the championship. We were so close making it to the finals 2 years in a row.
You shot 38.3% from 3-point range in your college career and you’ve carried that great shooting over into your professional career. Would you say that the three-point shot is the most dangerous weapon in your offensive arsenal?
I think my quickness and my IQ are my two most dangerous weapons on the court, but being able to shoot the 3 doesn’t hurt either haha.
Did you ever think that you’ll be playing professional basketball in England while you were at Lehigh?
I knew that I wanted to play professionally but I never knew exactly where it would be.
Mackey McKnight was the point-guard at Lehigh before you took over in the 2014-15 season. He recently agreed to return to the Sheffield Sharks for his fourth year in the BBL. How do you look at that match-up?
He was a senior when I came to visit Lehigh my senior year in high school. It’ll be a great matchup between two competitive guys, I can’t wait!
I’ve noticed that you and Malik Monk follow each other on Instagram…how do you guys know each other?
Yeah he’s from a town about 20 mins from me. We grew up playing against each other in high school so we’ve been knowing each other for a while.
Have you played against any other current/ex NBA players?
Yeah I played against a lot of the guys in my class at camps and AAU (Zach LaVine, Jahlil Okafor, Emanuel Mudiay). I’m also good friends with Daryl Macon who played for the Miami Heat this year.
Are you a sneakerhead?
I wouldn’t call myself a sneakerhead but I do have a lot of shoes lol.. I’m a big air max guy.
Do you prefer an Indian or Chinese takeaway?
Chinese.
Do you have any hidden talents?
I might be the best 2k player ever ?
Favorite city in the world?
Favorite city that I’ve been to is Miami, favorite city I wanna go to is Paris.
Would you rather be as fast as The Flash or as strong as Hulk?
Strong as Hulk.
MVP or Championship?
Championship.
If you weren’t a professional basketball player what would you be?
A coach/trainer.
Finally, what is your message for the Nix Nation ahead of the 2020/21 season?
I’m excited to meet the Nix Nation! The crowd and the atmosphere of the games I’ve watched looks intense and that’s what it’s all about! I’m excited to get there and start building towards winning a championship and meeting the fans!
