"No one did anything wrong": Rillie on Cotton's departure"

Bryce Cotton’s long-awaited return to RAC Arena is still nearly three months away, but anticipation is already surging.

It's a venue where Cotton built his legacy and created countless unforgettable moments, but this time he comes back as the opposition, suiting up for arch-rivals, Adelaide.

The blockbuster clash is set for December 7, following the first showdown between the 36ers and Wildcats in Adelaide a month earlier.

“How do we stop him (Cotton)? That’s the theatre of sport and entertainment of our industry,” Rillie told The West Australian.

“He’s spoken about how he wants to come into RAC. On the flipside, that is a great challenge for us.”

Perth has assembled what Derek Rucker calls a “championship-calibre” roster, even without their former star. Meanwhile, Cotton and the 36ers bring one of the most talent-packed lineups the league has seen in years.

With so much firepower on both sides, expect tickets to vanish quickly.

Despite the high stakes and Cotton’s dramatic exit, Wildcats coach John Rillie was quick to stress there’s no bad blood between the club and their three-time champion.

“No one did anything wrong,” Rillie continued.

“He was a free agent. He could explore every opportunity. We put our foot forward in that race and weren’t the recipient of his signature. Everyone makes their own decisions and you’ve got to respect that and move on.

“Through our three years together, Bryce and I would talk a lot of different topics and subjects and handling different moments in the season and out of season … I’ll continue to be supportive and communicate with him through the ups and downs of both of our seasons.”

Read the full story here >> Perth Wildcats coach John Rillie opens up about Bryce Cotton joining Adelaide 36ers for NBL season