Bryce Cotton is the bar of the National Basketball League. Ever since stepping foot on Australian shores in 2017, he has been the gold standard for the players in the competition.
Being a three time Most Valuable Player, Cotton finds new ways each season to motivate himself.
Speaking to Sporting News Australia’s Jed Wells, he said: “I go into every season with a chip on my shoulder regardless of what success or short comings we have, it’s just kind of what’s made me who I am my whole life, just finding something to stay self-motivated.”
Cotton comes into the 2022-23 season with another new coach, with John Rillie becoming the Perth Wildcats’ third head coach in three seasons. After the departures of Trevor Gleeson and Scott Morrison respectively, he says that the team has had a great preseason and have come together well under Rillie.
“We had a very very good preseason. I felt guys had an opportunity to get real locked in and get familiar with ‘JR’ so he’s been an amazing coach so far. We love his approach and he makes things pretty clear about what he expects from us on the floor offensively and defensively so, so far so good.”
“It was definitely a whirlwind having three coaches in three seasons, but I feel now, going into this year especially with how we’ve started it seems like there’s going to be some stability. So, there’s a little bit of solace in that, and other than that we just have to go out there and try to win ball games regardless of what’s going on in the organisation.”
After a streak-ending 2022 season, the Wildcats changed their roster significantly. The departers of imports’ Vic Law and Michael Frazier II, along with Matt Hodgson and Jack Purchase left a hole in their roster.
However, they made changes with imports TaShawn Thomas and Brady Manek, with old rival Corey Webster joining Perth after a season in Egypt, rounding out the Wildcats’ new look team.
“I think they got assimilated pretty quickly,” Cotton said about the new recruits.
“With Brady he’s coming along. I think this is his first year out of school, so there’s going to be a lot of different learning curves but he’s been doing pretty good. He’s a workaholic, we know he can shoot the ball extremely well, so we’re looking forward to him having nights where it just looks like he’s throwing the ball into the ocean.”
“And then with Corey, you know I had the pleasure of playing against him for a few years in the NBL and he’s one of the best scorers I’ve ever played with and against. Like he’s just a true competitor, and not only can he score, he’s a selfless playmaker as well and can create for others so I love having him on our side.”
Leading the NBL in scoring for four out of the last five seasons, Cotton has been discussed as the greatest import to play in the NBL, being compared to NBL greats’ Leroy Loggins, Ricky Grace and many others.
Humble as always, Cotton says while it is amazing to be considered something he never thought of, he focusses on what he needs to be doing on the court rather than dwelling on his status amongst the greats.
“It’s pretty humbling you know. Obviously, I put in a lot of work into the game and that’s not a title or even a conversation I ever imagined would’ve been coming up when I first came to Australia. So the fact that, you know, people hold me, I guess, in such high regard is pretty cool, but I still keep my, I guess, tunnel vision on what I feel I need to be doing out there on the floor,” he said.
To watch the full interview with Jed Wells, see here:
Authored by:
Jackson MacDonald