When Buford High School alumni Isiah Cross steps onto the field or court today, it isn’t as a player suiting up for Friday night lights or basketball tipoffs. Instead, he’s at the helm of his own company, BEA Tournament and Camp Series, a growing organization that provides athletic tournaments and youth development camps across the South.
For Cross, it’s a dream job that blends his love of sports, leadership and community impact.
“I absolutely love what I do,” Cross said. “It allows me to be my own Athletic Director, a dream job I wanted, but also lets me stay a part of the games and help the youth and next generation.”
Though he only spent a couple of years at Buford High School, his experience as a Wolf left a lasting impact. The son of Sharon Scott of Winder and Thomas Cross Jr. of Duluth, Cross quickly found his place within the school’s strong athletic tradition. He excelled both on the field and in the classroom, earning a spot on the A/B Honor Roll and ranking among the Top 100 in his class.
Those academic achievements later secured scholarships that helped him complete college, where he earned a degree in business administration and marketing. Still, what he remembers most vividly are the Friday nights and game-day rituals.
“The atmosphere during school was amazing — preparing with teammates, running out onto the field, and then winning together. Those are some of my best memories in life,” Cross said.
Cross credits both athletics and academics for leading him to his current career path, but he’s quick to acknowledge the influence of Buford’s teachers and coaches. He points to mentors such as Coach Durden, Coach Hunnicutt and Coach May for the impact they had both inside and outside the classroom. A sports management class with Coach Durden proved especially valuable.
“That class was fun and really showed me things I still use today,” Cross said.
Beyond the classroom, he gained early experience working youth basketball and football camps during the summer, where he saw firsthand how coaches and players could give back to the community. Those experiences laid the foundation for the camp model he now runs through his business.
After graduating from Buford, Cross pursued his athletic dreams at the collegiate level. He began at Alabama A&M University, where he started 12 games as a freshman basketball player, but he soon realized he missed football too much to give it up completely. A transfer to Northwood University allowed him to compete in both football and basketball, and his dedication earned him an extra year of eligibility from the NCAA.
That final year brought him to Adrian College, where he wrapped up his athletic career and completed his degree in business administration and marketing. Balancing two sports across multiple schools was certainly not easy, but the experience instilled a sense of resilience that continues to guide him.
“The athletics and academics both helped mold me into who I am today,” Cross said.
Today, Cross channels that drive into BEA Tournament and Camp Series, which is entering its fifth year. What began with football tournaments has expanded into multiple sports, giving young athletes opportunities to compete and grow.
The camp portion, which brings in both professional and college athletes to mentor and teach fundamentals, is particularly close to his heart.
“Sports can do a lot for you as an individual,” Cross said. “It’s a blessing that I can provide an extra opportunity for the next generation of athletes.”
Looking back, Cross said if he could relive any experience from high school, he’d suit up for another season of basketball and football in a heartbeat. He’d also take another pass at sports management, a class that remains just as relevant to him today.
Though life has taken him across states and through different phases, he maintains ties to Buford by attending games and supporting today’s athletes whenever he can. Now living in Winder, Georgia, he isn’t married and doesn’t yet have children, but family and community remain at the center of his story.
From his beginnings as a Buford athlete to his years balancing two college sports, and now as a business owner running youth tournaments, his story has come full circle.
Cross was once the young athlete chasing opportunity — and now he creates those opportunities for others.
“Whether on the court, the field, or in a camp setting,” Cross said, “the way Buford gives back has always been an aspect that I carry and hold as a standard in my own business practices.”