Bryce Cotton and Kendric Davis open up ahead of Adelaide 36ers v Perth Wildcats rematch
Kendric Davis was in awe as Bryce Cotton destroyed Adelaide with a 49-point masterclass but it is the Perth legend who is making huge predictions for the young 36ers’ import.
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NBL great Bryce Cotton and boom Adelaide import Kendric Davis are planning an off-season collab to “learn from each other”, each revealing a mutual respect as they prepare for a rematch of one of the most explosive scoring duels of the season.
Davis was “in the sixth or seventh grade” when Cotton emerged at Providence college and said he was blown away by the champion Wildcat as he sliced and diced the 36ers in a 49-point December 8 stunner.
“I knew he was spectacular, but goddamn,” Davis said of his first up-close-and-personal encounter with one of the NBL’s best-ever players.
“I grew up watching him (in college) but that was unbelievable. I was watching greatness but I was also trying to be great.
“The respect I had for him was high but I was also like ‘I gotta take this guy down’,” Davis laughed.
“It was crazy playing against him, you grow up watching people as kids and your idols turn into your rivals.”
No Sixer could stop Cotton — spurred by the AEC crowd’s booing of injured teammate Jesse Wagstaff in the 10-point win — but Davis did catch the superstar’s eye as he poured in 37 points of his own in response.
“His feel for the game is amazing and, especially in this day and age, you usually find guys that are really good at scoring or really good at facilitating, It’s hard to find guys good at both and Kendric’s one of those guys,” Cotton said of Davis, who added 11 assists in their first meeting on the court.
“If he needs to take over a game facilitating, he can do that, if he needs to take over with scoring, he has a natural feel to where it seems like he doesn’t overthink the game, it’s just his instincts naturally let him make the right play.
“So, as a fan of the game, I love watching that type of hoop. I like the way he goes about the game, he’s not a show off, he’s about his business, I respect him as a player and mentally.”
The pair has discussed the possibility of linking up in Arizona during the off-season to help each other get better and both are welcoming the possibility.
“I want to add stuff in my game, I respect the hell out of him and I can’t wait to learn from him,” Davis said.
That the four-time MVP, who typically embraces the solitary grind during his off-seasons, is willing to impart his wisdom on Davis is a glowing endorsement. And the fact the 32-year-old believes he, too, can learn from the Houston native, gives you an insight into what makes the three-time NBL champion so good.
“That would be pretty cool to lace them up with him and work on different parts of our game because, for the majority of my career, I’ve never really work out with anybody,” Cotton said.
“A guy like Kendric, I definitely wouldn’t mind that because I respect his game and I feel like I can learn from him as well, just as much as he may be able to learn a thing or two from me.
“Once you put a cap on who you can and can’t learn from, that’s when you’re going to put a big hindrance on your ability to grow as a player and he’s around my size. I love learning from anybody that’s around my size because my mentality is, ‘if it works for you, it could work for me’ because we’re dealing with the same build.”
For now, though, all bets are off ahead of Saturday night’s dogfight as the league’s top two scorers (Cotton, 26.71, Davis, 23.93) resume hostilities — in a clash between the sixth-placed Wildcats and eighth-placed 36ers, who have lost seven of their past nine games.
“It’s going to be a dogfight with where we’re at on the ladder, where Adelaide’s at on the ladder — we both really have a lot to play for and it’s like for us and them, every game is a championship game,” Cotton said.
This time round, Sixers fans might want to try a different approach to sledging Cotton or booing an injured opponent.
“I was really upset that they were booing when Jesse was hurt, that was the main thing that set me off, I just feel like that was poor sportsmanship,” Cotton said.
“I don’t care about the boos but when somebody’s hurt, you’ve got to show some respect.
“That really caught me off guard, that was a little wild for me.”
Davis has already warned Cotton he’ll be going all out to turn the tables on Saturday night.
“I told him ‘I owe you one’,” Davis said.
“Every time we play each other, I’m ready for that now because he came into my house and put on a show and left a salty taste in my mouth because he got the win.”
Originally published as Bryce Cotton and Kendric Davis open up ahead of Adelaide 36ers v Perth Wildcats rematch
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