Cotton Believes in New Wildcats

Perth GM of Basketball Danny Mills believes three-time MVP Bryce Cotton is fully bought into the direction the Wildcats are heading.

Cotton has committed to Perth for a further three seasons, which will take his tenure at the club to nine years.

Under new ownership and new head coach Scott Morrison, the Wildcats missed the finals for the first time in 35 years last season.

Despite that, Mills says Cotton feels comfortable with the club’s direction.

“I do think Bryce has a sense of comfortability here in Perth and what he's built, and what he's helped build,” Mills told The Huddle.

“There was a big change when Trevor Gleeson left, that's the only coach he had here, and Scott came in, and I think he really enjoys playing in this system and I think he really sees value in where the club's trending.

“There were big changes, and we didn't achieve the goals we set out to, but I think there's the belief that this thing's still going in the right direction and we're building it for the long term.”

Mills added Cotton’s long-term commitment is a testament to his character.

“It's a guy that could go play anywhere in the world,” Mills said.

“For him to commit for another three years, which will bring him up to nine years with the one club, shows you a lot about him and his loyalty, but also about Perth, and what the organisation has built here over the long term.”

In Cotton’s first season, he led the Wildcats to the 2017 NBL Championship, claiming Grand Final MVP honours with a record-breaking 45 points in the deciding game.

The following year he claimed his first NBL MVP trophy, before again leading the Wildcats to championship success in 2019.

In 2020, he claimed the trifecta; winning another championship, while being named both NBL MVP and Grand Final MVP, and in 2021 he was named NBL MVP for a third time.

Cotton has led the NBL in scoring in five of his six seasons in Australia and been named on the All-NBL First Team for the last five years.