Crosscourt: Likes and dislikes from round nine and an exclusive chat with four time NBL MVP Bryce Cotton
Out-of-contract NBL superstar Bryce Cotton’s future is one of the league’s biggest stories. The four-time MVP has revealed his mindset on his next move and detailed the mental impact of an excruciating injury that has changed his body for good.
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Amid a triumphant return to the court after an excruciating rib injury that has permanently changed his body, the NBL’s premier player and most-coveted free agent Bryce Cotton has confirmed he’s had talks with Perth about his future but remains adamant he won’t make a decision until the end of the season.
Crosscourt, last month, revealed a number of NBL clubs — including Melbourne United, Brisbane and Sydney — were set to gauge the out-of-contract four-time MVP’s availability and, amid the lure of overseas millions in Asia, speculation has been rife Cotton could do the unthinkable and leave the Red Army.
But the man himself, who plundered South East Melbourne for 33 points on Friday night in his first game since a piece of cartilage broke off and his rib popped out, said his focus was on recovery and the pursuit of a fourth NBL title in his ninth season, rather than his next contract.
“I mean, yeah, there’s been a little bit of talks,” Cotton said, when asked if Perth had expressed a desire for him to re-sign with the club.
“The same things that people are talking about now, I’m sure they’ve talked about at other times. If people speculate, that’s fine, there’s always going to be things to speculate about, but I can’t pay attention to that.
“My constant thing is, I just want to focus on this season. I don’t need any distractions, especially with overcoming this injury, my mental plate is full.
“When it’s time to discuss all those other things, we’ll discuss it.”
Cotton, who has a close relationship with former Wildcats mentor Trevor Gleeson, now coaching Chiba Jets in Japan, said while money was an important factor in his basketball decisions, it’s not his overarching motivation.
“I’ve never been a guy that is only going to chase money or is only about money — if that was the case, I wouldn’t have played in Australia all these years,” Cotton said.
“For me, it’s about the total package of what I’m getting for quality of life, my mental happiness, my peace.”
Legacy also comes into it — Andrew Gaze’s seven MVP trophies is not beyond the 32-year-old — but Cotton is already one of the best players to ever grace the Australian league and his standing in the game is assured.
The Arizona native said the mental battle was as tough as the physical during his injury lay-off.
“It was difficult, especially the first couple weeks where it was hard to breathe, it was hard to move at all, even laying in bed,” he said.
“When you can’t move and you’re just at home all day, all you have is your thoughts with you.
“I had been thinking ‘what if that was something else and ended my career’ and I just immediately started thinking I have so much left to give the game, I still love it.”
Cotton said while he avoided surgery, he can see and feel the rib sitting out of place.
“If you look in the mirror and there’s light in the room, you can definitely see it poking out,” Cotton said.
“You’re always going to notice it because if I run my fingers over my side I can always feel it so it’s just a matter of me getting used to knowing I can see that little part of my rib poking out.
“It has no hindrance on my movements and how I play, It’s more just a thing that’s visually different for the rest of my life.”
DISLIKES
KINGS NEED TO LOOK IN THE MIRROR
Sydney was regarded as red-hot championship favourite pre-season, but the Kings could battle to reach the finals. Brian Goorjian’s team is loaded with talent, but the roster is lacking the chemistry and consistency of the NBL’s top teams. This was on show in Saturday’s loss to Illawarra, with poor attention to detail costing them. The Kings rallied from 19 down to cut the margin to two in the fourth, but average shot selection and substandard defence denied them victory. At one point, Xavier Cooks had four offensive rebounds, while no other King had more than one board, total. Rebounding is all about effort and, while the Kings lack a genuine big outside of an inconsistent Cam Oliver, it’s an area they must address. Goorjian acknowledged his side, sitting precariously at 7-6, faces a battle to keep their season alive, post FIBA break. “We’re not playing to our potential and we’re playing for a season now and if it doesn’t get better, our year is over.,” conceded Goorjian, who was seen at training during the week demanding his players nail the detail.
PHOENIX GO TO GROUND ON UNDER-PRESSURE IMPORT
South East Melbourne has gone to ground after import Joe Wieskamp was a healthy scratch in Perth. The American watched from the pine as Phoenix went down 97-84 against Perth. Coach Josh King said, post-game, the 25-year-old was benched, but did not add context and declined to elaborate Sunday. Wieskamp has elite shooting abilities but is just 11-50 (22 per cent) from range since he joined the Phoenix this season. His DNP came a week on from 14 scoreless minutes against Cairns where he left the floor looking despondent, despite a 23-point win. In that game, Wieskamp had a brain fade foul at the three-quarter-time buzzer and copped a spray from King during a time-out. Asked if it would be difficult for Wieskamp to rebuild his confidence, King said: “It’s game-to-game. Joe is a professional, he has played at high level places and again tonight was just a coach’s decision.”
ABUSE GOES TOO FAR
Criticism of athletes, especially in the social media era, is a part of professional sport but there is a line that should never be crossed. Fans who pay for tickets and season memberships have every right to feel disappointed with a poor performance from their team or player. But it’s unacceptable when frustration turns into abuse or threats like it recently did with a pregnant family member of a Tasmania player. JackJumpers coach Scott Roth revealed the franchise has been flooded with messages of support from across the game. Roth deserves praise for his handling of an incredibly tough situation for his club. “You can criticise us 28 times a season, tell me I’m the worst coach, do what you need to do. But when you start having these other threats that really go beyond threats … I want to protect our guys and their families.”
LIKES
CRAFTY KING STICKS TO FACTS
It’s a small line between a fine and stating fact for an NBL coach and new South East Melbourne man Josh King nailed it on Friday night. King pointed to a lopsided foul count when identifying where the Phoenix lost to the Wildcats. While admitting it wasn’t his team’s best performance, he said he’d never seen a 12-1 foul count in one quarter and said it was a big contributor to Perth’s league season-best 40 points in the second, where the game was decided.
“I’ll just state facts, because I don’t want to get fined. The foul count was 12-1 in the second. I’ve never seen anything like that. And the third quarter, the foul count was three-two, so the game must have changed.” King’s comments prompted some playful online bants between Phoenix owner Romie Chaudhari and Wildcats opposite number Mark Arena. “Romie! Debate me on NBL refereeing in the Wildcats owners’ box for Perth vs SEM on Jan 31,” Arena said before Chaudhari replied with: “Not a bad idea, might take you up on the offer.”
You tell 'em coach.... Still can't believe it, that's some wild shit 😒 https://t.co/tG0G7RdCz0
— Romie Chaudhari (@RRome44) November 16, 2024
Romie! Debate me on NBL refereeing in the Wildcats owners box for Perth vs SEM on Jan 31 @RRome44https://t.co/8rEzdzQUGP#foragoodcause
— Mark Arena (@WildcatsMark) November 16, 2024
MIP UNLOCKS TASSIE
Tasmania guard Sean Macdonald has been hailed a “game changer” after an eye-catching return from a three-month injury lay-off that helped ignite the JackJumpers’ stale offence. Macdonald wrecked his ankle in pre-season but made an immediate impact, dealing seven assists in Friday night’s win over Brisbane. Macdonald’s creativity helped Tasmania pile on over 90 points for the first time this season and opened the door for Milton Doyle’s 32-point explosion that included a career-high eight three-pointers. The American import was full of praise for the reigning NBL Most Improved Player. “You could see the flow of the game change, the pace that he plays with, the control and him being up the floor defensively. He is definitely a game changer for us.”
SHARPSHOOTING LEE HAS HAWKS FLYING HIGH
Chris Goulding has rightfully hogged the NBL’s three-point shooting headlines after last week’s 46-point explosion, but Illawarra sharpshooter Hyunjung Lee has been the league’s quiet assassin. The South Korean’s 16 points on 4/5 from range helped bury Sydney and he’s buried at least one trey in all 11 appearances this season, connecting at an elite 44 per cent on 4.4 attempts per game — in just 17 minutes per night. Hawks coach Justin Tatum credited Lee for turning the game in his side’s favour. “He came out here and opened the game up for us. They were really tight on Trey (Kell) and Tyler (Harvey) and they lost track of one of the best three-point shooters in the league. When he gets going, anything can happen.”
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Originally published as Crosscourt: Likes and dislikes from round nine and an exclusive chat with four time NBL MVP Bryce Cotton
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