Cotton Already an NBL Great: Gaze

Ahead of Bryce Cotton's 200th NBL game, Pete Hooley reflected on his incredible contribution so far.

Define greatness. According to Merriam-Webster, the definition is: “The quality or state of being great (as in size, skill, achievement, or power).”

When you look at the first 199 games of Bryce Cotton’s incredible NBL career, it’s perhaps those last three words that encapsulate everything he has done. The skill it takes to lead the league in scoring six times, on his way to achieving three championships and MVP’s. But what about the power that he brings to his Wildcats team in the clutch when they need it the most ... how many times have we seen that?

Greatness comes in many forms, but perhaps it’s only fair that as a sport and a league, we seek the definition from the man who sits above all – Andrew Gaze.

“Greatness is a high degree of skill level. Not only as an individual, but also being able to make others around you better as well,” Gaze told NBL Media. 

Firstly, on that skill aspect. Over the course of Cotton’s 199 games in the NBL, he’s led the league in scoring six times, with a career average of 22.4ppg at 42% FG. Across his seven seasons, Cotton has won three championships, three league MVP’s, two Grand Final MVP’s and been an All-NBL First Team selection six times. 

Accomplishments in sport are a very simple barometer to determine success, but in the words of Gaze, there’s more than that when it comes to being great.

“In terms of sport, greatness also comes down to character. How and which you represent your organization, your family, your team and yourself. A combination of all those things is what makes one truly great,” Gaze noted.

 So, what has Bryce Cotton meant to the league over the course of his 199 games?

“All the above,” said Gaze.

“When he arrived was at a time when things looked bleak for the Wildcats, then in a short time, they go and win a championship on the back of what was one of the greatest performances we have seen.”

There’s making a splash on arrival, then there’s what Cotton did. His first game in the NBL was on the 7th of January, 2017, against none other than Andrew Gaze’s Sydney Kings.

“We had heard a lot about him. We did our scout from what we could find on the internet, and I thought we had a pretty good plan in place,” Gaze laughed. 

Cotton played 34 minutes, scoring 26-points and missing just one shot on the night, leading his Wildcats to a six-point victory. It would be the start of an unforgettable championship run for Perth, which saw them win 12 of their last 16 games and claim the title. 

“We walked away from that game and thought, geez, they might have themselves a good one there,” Gaze said.

A good one indeed. 

The Grand Final MVP of that 2017 series put an exclamation mark on his arrival with a 45-point Game 3 performance, that laid the foundation of what was to come.

More to just the scoring and highlights, Cotton seems to encapsulate all that makes someone a great teammate, both on and off the floor. 

“We so often see him celebrate the success of others; you can really see how much he enjoys that. But at the same time, we get to sit back and celebrate him and what he does. He’s been able to be consistently great for a long period of time,” said Gaze.

The stats and accomplishments will speak for themselves but for many who have been tasked with guarding Cotton, it’s one of the toughest assignments in the league. Ask yourself this, if you had to pick someone to guard him one-on-one and come up a stop, who would it be?

The NBL’s greatest defender of all time and past teammate of Cotton, Damian Martin, highlighted what it was like to go to battle against him every day in practice.

“I’d like to think I won my fair share of battles,” he laughed. “Bryce might have a different view of that, though.”

The six-time Champion and six-time Best Defensive Player might have had the best view of some of Cotton’s accomplishments throughout his first 199 games.

“He’s just a different level of offensive talent. The only player I can compare him too over my time, is playing on the Boomers with Patty (Mills).”

“Patty would do something on the court that would shock you and you’d think there’s no way he can do that again. But then he does. Then again and again and again,” Martin said. 

In Australian basketball terms, it doesn’t come much more endearing than having the league’s greatest ever defender compare you to ‘FIBA Patty’. Yet, that might just be the best way to describe some of the moments we have seen over the past seven years from Cotton.

“That’s a unique level of offensive talent that you don’t find every day. Where there is an entire team’s focus to try shut down one player. That is Bryce for the Wildcats and that’s Patty for the Boomers. Yet somehow, they always find a way to rise above that and shine in big moments,” Martin added. 

In recent history it’s hard to imagine anyone who has had bigger impact in their first 200 games in the NBL than Cotton. At still just 30-years-old with much left in his tank, and after one of his best statistical seasons yet, what kind of conversations will we be having after the next 100 games?

“Gazey is the ultimate GOAT. When you think 48-minute era, it’s always Gazey. But in the 40-minute era, it’s Bryce. When you’re talking about Bryce in four year’s time, we’ll likely be talking about Gaze and Bryce of their respective eras,” Martin said. 

Thankfully, with the common knowledge of Cotton’s eagerness to stay put and even become an Australian citizen, NBL fans will get to enjoy his greatness for years to come. 

“You’ve got this guy who is highly intelligent with an incredibly high basketball IQ. He plays the game the right way. Ticks all the boxes. At any stage he could have gone overseas to chase more money or a different situation, but he stays here because he loves it and what he’s built is special,” Martin noted.

It’s somewhat ironic that on the eve of his 200th game, Cotton comes off yet another jaw-dropping performance in a must win matchup against the Phoenix. Big time players love big time moments. 

After struggling for the previous game and first three quarters of the do-or-die clash, Cotton took over the fourth quarter once again. Like we needed another reminder. 

Not everyone is built for those moments.

“He’s fearless. He has a complete lack of fear of failure. Tremendous self-confidence without the overt bravado. He doesn’t need to shout from the rooftop how good he is, he lets his game do the talking and it’s a beautiful thing,” Gaze said. 

200 games down and a resume that speaks for itself, Bryce cotton will continue to be in those conversations of greatness as his career unfolds. 

“In a broader sense of the history of our league, if he was to stop playing right now, he would still go down as one of the greatest to have played in the NBL,” Gaze added. “He’s only going to further enhance that over the rest of his career you’d think, as he is showing no signs of slowing down.”

How we each measure greatness will differ from one person to the next. That’s what makes those debates enjoyable amongst sport fans.

Do you choose to look at the three championships and MVP’s? What about hitting the big shots with the game on the line? Is it the unselfishness to lead the league in scoring yet still be top seven in assists? How about the fact that through 199 games, Cotton has scored in single figures just seven times? Or how he’s scored more than 30 points on 30 different occasions? 

When it comes down to it, as fans of this beautiful sport we can basketball, we all enjoy watching #11 on the Wildcats go to work. In fact, there may be only one person in the country who hasn’t enjoyed him doing his thing over the course of the last seven seasons… and that’s the guy guarding him. 

199 games of greatness and counting.