Bryce Cotton’s 59-point NBL scoring explosion a reminder of what the Boomers missed in Paris

Bryce Cotton is the toast of Aussie basketball after a historic NBL scoring outburst that left Boomers legend Shane Heal in awe. But was it what the Boomers were missing in Paris?

As he watched Bryce Cotton’s 59-point NBL explosion, Boomers great Shane Heal couldn’t help but lament the Perth Wildcats superstar has never had the chance to wear a green and gold jersey.

Cotton’s outburst against New Zealand on Sunday was the highest individual scoring total in an NBL game in more than three decades.

It was just shy of four-time Olympian Heal’s 61 for Brisbane, back in 1994.

The man known to Aussie hoops fans as Hammer is among many who have long wanted to see the Arizona-born Cotton naturalised and considered for Australian selection.

And Heal is adamant the Wildcat could have helped the Boomers in their ill-fated Paris Olympic campaign.

A historic 59-point night is just nice for Bryce. Picture: Getty Images

But, after a series of well-documented obstacles that have delayed his citizenship, Cotton, in January, told Code Sports he no longer had the desire to play for Australia.

While Cotton has to be in an Olympic squad for Basketball Australia to formally ask the government to make him a citizen, Heal believes the national body should have pushed harder to make the four-time NBL MVP available for Boomers’ selection.

“He’s a world class scorer, Bryce, and what we saw yesterday (Sunday) is the reason why I’ve been lobbying for the last three years saying Basketball Australia let down the Boomers by not making him part of the program,” Heal said.

“How could he not have helped the Olympic team, especially when they didn’t take an American (each nation can include one naturalised player)?

“He’s in the sweet spot of his career.”

Heal marvelled at Cotton’s ruthless scoring pursuit against the Breakers that broke the league’s modern 40-minute era record – set only last month by Brisbane’s James Batemon (51).

But he said it probably sat just below Cotton’s 45-point championship-clinching masterclass against Illawarra in game three of the 2017 grand final series in terms of individual impact.

“I commentated his 45-point game and, I don’t want to diminish his (59) yesterday, but you put some context into it (grand final) and you do it in a big game and it’s always a bit bigger,” Heal said.

Bryce Cotton was a one-man wrecking crew against New Zealand. Picture: Getty Images

Shane Heal as a Brisbane Bullet, circa 1995.

Heal recalled his 61-point effort against the Crocodiles at the Townsville Entertainment Centre, built on the back of 12 three pointers.

He said it was fuelled by a poor performance the week before – five points on 2/13 shooting against the Brian Goorjian-coached South East Melbourne Magic.

And while Cotton’s effort has been lauded all over the country, it was a different time when Heal produced his heroics.

“It took time back then, the internet’s not even going in 1994, so it gets printed in the paper the next day, but we would have celebrated at the Mad Cow or one of those clubs up there in Far North Queensland, it would have been a big night, I can assure you,” Heal laughed.

Originally published as Bryce Cotton’s 59-point NBL scoring explosion a reminder of what the Boomers missed in Paris