Welcome to Crossroads Basketball
At Crossroads Basketball, we believe the game is more than just a sport — it’s a powerful tool for growth. Founded and run by Cornell and Melissa Thomas, our family business is built on the belief that basketball can shape confident, resilient, and character-driven young people.
We provide a positive, structured environment where players can develop both on and off the court. Our program emphasizes teamwork, discipline, and leadership, while also challenging athletes to compete at their highest level. Through quality coaching and competitive opportunities, we prepare players not only for the game ahead, but also for the challenges they’ll face in life.
At Crossroads Basketball, every practice and every game is a chance to grow—as an athlete, a teammate, and a person. We’re proud to be a community where players push themselves, support one another, and discover just how far hard work and dedication can take them.
Crossroads Coaches
Coach Cornell has been around basketball for over 30 years. In this journey through hoops, he was able to play and coach with and against some of the best basketball minds in the world. Cornell did not pick up a basketball until the age of 16 years old. Inspired by his cousin Carlos, who was an all-conference player in Virginia, Cornell’s path started on the bench. He sat JV as a junior in high school and then sat Varsity as a senior the next year. Although he was very raw, Cornell’s work ethic was one of the best things he had going for him. After high school, he took a year and a half off to work (to be able to afford college) and then eventually found his way to Sussex County Community College. It wasn’t until the second semester of his freshman year in college that Cornell started his first game. After a so-so first year, Cornell blossomed in his second year, averaging close to 20 points and 7 rebounds per game for the Skylanders and earning first-team all-conference and all-region honors. Cornell then became the first player in SCCC history to receive a full athletic scholarship when he signed to play at Minot State University in North Dakota. Cornell left Minot as one of the top 5 3pt shooters in the history of the program by shooting 45% his senior year. After college, Cornell began to train and compete against NBA stars on a daily basis in Somerville, New Jersey. Cornell then received a pro-contract to play at the D1 level in Lisbon, Portugal, but fate would have other plans. A week before Cornell was supposed to leave, he fully ruptured his right Achilles tendon, ending his opportunity to play that season. In August of 2004, Cornell received an offer to become the head coach of his alma mater, Sussex County Community College. In his six years at the helm, Cornell developed two-time All-Americans, multiple first-team all-region, and all-conference players. In his 2008-2009 season, Cornell helped lead SCCC to a 20-10 record, which is the best record in school history. That team was 6 points away from making the national tournament and was ranked as one of the top 25 teams in the country. With dreams of coaching at Division 1 level, Cornell left SCCC to become an assistant coach at Blair Academy under Hall of Fame coach Joe Mantegna. During his 7 seasons at Blair, Cornell helped develop an almost countless number of Division 1 and pro-level players. Blair Academy during that time won a total of 5 championships, 2 of them being state titles. All throughout his coaching career, Cornell has had Crossroads Basketball. In 2005, he wanted to start a program originally for kids in the Sussex County Area to not only become better basketball players, but better people. The Crossroads Basketball program is not a roll out the ball and play organizations. Players learn in a positive environment and understand the importance of respect, work ethic, coachability, attitude, and accountability. In the 21 years that Crossroads Basketball has been in business, hundreds of kids have gone on to play at every level of College Basketball, with some even making it to the pro level. While proud of that stat, Crossroads is just as proud of the beginner who has never played before and is learning the game. Our program is player-focused, and we expect the players and parents to be a positive addition to our already outstanding culture. We are not into photo shoots and tricky advertising to hype up what we do to make more money. Here you will have real coaches helping develop your child on and off the court.
Coach Melissa is the very first assistant in Crossroads Basketball history. Coaching with her husband, Cornell, she has seen thousands of players come through the Crossroads program. Melissa took a hiatus from coaching when her and Cornell’s children were born, but now, she is back on the sideline. Melissa was a standout player for Rainier High School in Rainier, Washington. Melissa was a three-year starter, a thousand-point scorer, and first team all-conference both her junior and senior seasons. Melissa then went on to play at Division 1 Centralia Community College, where she was a crucial part of the team’s success. In her sophomore year, she was a first-team all-conference player and received a scholarship to play at Minot State University in North Dakota. During her tenure at Minot, Melissa was a two-year starter and was on one of the best teams in school history. Melissa is still in the top 5 players in Minot State History for free-throw percentage. During Melissa’s coaching tenure at Crossroads, she has helped develop hundreds of college basketball players on both the boys’ and girls’ side.
Coach “Jav” has been part of the Crossroads family for a little over 15 years. Javier first came to the program at 16 years old as a high school basketball player. One of the main attributes that stuck out to our coaching staff was Javier’s work ethic. Javier played high school basketball at Sussex Tech and then continued his playing career at County College of Morris. After CCM, Javier went to Rutgers University, where he became a manager for Hall of Fame coach Vivian Stringer. One of Javiers responsibility was player development, where he excelled and helped to develop multiple Big East all-conference players. Javier then became an assistant coach for the FDU Madison women’s program, where he played an integral role in recruiting and developing one of the best classes in the program’s recent history. Currently, Javier is an assistant coach at national powerhouse Morris Catholic on the girls’ side under coach of the year Rahim Huland El. Javier has been a staple of our program and is a phenomenal trainer, coach, and human being.
Jess has been a part of the Crossroads Basketball family since she was in 7th Jess’s toughness and team-first mindset were always what she brought on a daily basis. After starring at Kittatinny High School as an all-conference player, Jess was recruited to continue her playing career at Ramapo College, where she was a three-year starter. The same tenacity and passion that helped Jess excel as a player is the same energy she brings to her coaching. Jess is someone who lives, sleeps, and breathes basketball. She has had a huge part in helping coach and develop countless numbers of both boys and girls who have played in our program. Jess is a highly valued member of our staff, and we are honored to have her continue to help coach the next generation of Crossroads athletes.