Cotton the “wrong guy” to ask about Ignite Cup prize money

Bryce Cotton is used to getting more attention than most players do in the Hungry Jack’s NBL.

The five-time NBL MVP has often been double or triple teamed yet still leads the competition for scoring with 25.4 points per game and steals, while sitting second for assists.

After finding it hard to score early in Wednesday night’s win over Brisbane, Cotton exploded in the last period, hitting 14 last quarter points to finish as the top scorer for the Adelaide 36ers on the night with 22 to go with his eight assists and five rebounds.

He returned home to Adelaide after four straight road games with his teammates on Thursday, ready to prepare to face the South East Melbourne Phoenix in a top-of-the-table clash on Saturday.

Asked whether he needs more protection from his teammates, Cotton said the statistics would suggest otherwise.

“I think my teammates are doing a pretty good job, considering we're number one on the ladder,” he smiled.

“You're gonna have games where it doesn't go so well, you're gonna have games where it goes right, but so far, we've won more games than any other team, so I think they're doing a perfect job.”

Cotton was quickly on the scene during a moment of controversy on Wednesday night.

With three minutes to play, Sixer Nick Rakocevic and Bullet Hunter Maldonado tangled on the baseline, leading to a melee involving several players.

The NBL is investigating the incident with reviewing the actions of 10 players and coaches – three of them from Adelaide.

While he tried to help diffuse the situation, Cotton admitted on Thursday that he had not seen what had sparked the incident.

“I was walking back on defence,” he explained. “DJ (Vasiljevic) took a three, and then I heard the crowd kind of rumbling, and then I turned and then I just saw a bunch of bodies.

“I mean, being in a basketball game, yeah it was a little shocking, but at the end of the day, we play it in a very intense league. Tempers can flare quickly, but, contrary to what people saw in the video, things could have been a lot worse with it.

“I'm glad nobody actually was seriously hurt.”

“In this case, it's hard to fault somebody like Nick in a situation like this. (His previous ejection) has already been handled, but I think this is a completely different scenario.”

The win booked a spot for the Sixers in the final of the Ignite Cup, and in with a chance of winning the $300,000 prize for the winner.

And he laughed off questions about how the club and players might split any winnings.

“I'm the wrong guy to ask for that,” he smiled.

“There's no need to talk about it unless we win. If we win, we can figure it out then.”

The Sixers will now reset and turn their focus to Saturday evening’s sell-out meeting with the Phoenix.