Cotton & Corey: Perth's Turning Point

With three NBL MVP’s, two Grand Final MVP’s and three championships, among a long list of accolades, Bryce Cotton has achieved an incredible amount in seven seasons at the Perth Wildcats.

At the age of 30, he’s showing no signs of slowing down.

The star guard is averaging 23.3 points across 16 games, the second-best tally of his career so far, and boasts career-high averages in steals and rebounds throughout NBL23.

It’s an impressive feat in a team that up until the last month had performed well below its lofty standards.

Languishing with a five-and-seven record barely a few weeks ago, the Wildcats are starting to fire on all cylinders. They've now won four straight games. 

TaShawn Thomas and Brady Manek have found their feet, Luke Travers is an emerging star, and development player Michael Harris has taken massive strides, most recently knocking down 17 points in a win over Cairns.

But for Cotton, one teammate’s move into the starting five has had seen the the biggest change.

Corey Webster has lit up the scoresheet in recent weeks, and even in a game he statistically struggled against the Taipans, played a vital role.

“Having a player like Corey is going to open up the floor for so many players including myself,” Cotton told The West Australian. 

“He’s been a great scorer in this league for some time and he’s still got it. That’s one of the benefits of playing with an elite scorer. They could be missing off of their shots and the defence is still worried about them.

“It does it for everyone on the floor. The defence has to play honest. That’s where you’ll see at different times there will be different players that have spurts where they are really, really rolling.

“It’s because we’re all opening up the floor for each other at different parts of the game and utilising our weapons.”

Before the Taipans’ clash, Webster knocked down 20, 22 and 26 points in the previous three outings. Adding his scoring ability alongside Cotton’s brilliance, Thomas’ defensive nous and Manek’s range makes the Wildcats a well-rounded unit.

It’s taken time, but they’re now primed for a run at the finals.

A win over the Brisbane Bullets on Tuesday night would see Perth level on points with the Cairns Taipans in fifth place. It’s been quite the turnaround. 

Cotton says it’s been a huge team effort to turn the tide.

“The guys coming off the bench have still embraced their roles and found ways to be stars in their roles,” he said.

“It’s still going to be a collective effort. But I definitely think we did find a really good chemistry and we complement each other’s games.”

Read the full article from The West Australian here >> Bryce Cotton details how moving Corey Webster into Perth Wildcats starting five has changed team’s NBL season