On a recent Friday night, Bryce Cotton came out of the tunnel for warmups at The Dollar Loan Center in the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson, Nevada, without his trusted AirPods, instead having to use a pair of generic headphones one might find in a hotel gift shop after losing his “fifth or sixth” pair.
But still, once on the court, each move Cotton makes is calculated; he knocks down jumper after jumper from spots all over the court, just like he did during his days starring for Tucson’s Palo Verde High School. He ends things with an underhanded layup that seems to touch the ceiling before dropping into the net.
Minus the headphone mix-up, the routine is the same as it always is.
That is, except for one major difference: The large rooting section of family and friends that have traveled to watch Cotton play in the Las Vegas suburb, a six-hour drive north of Tucson.
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Cotton estimates about 50 family and friends came out to watch him and his Perth (Australia) Wildcats play in the team’s two preseason games against the G League Ignite, a team that is a blend of top prospects and basketball veterans. The team features the projected top two picks in next year’s NBA Draft in Matas Bezels and Ron Holland, as well as former NBA veterans John Jenkins and Jeremy Pargo.
Back in September of 2018, Perth Wildcats guard Bryce Cotton (11) shoots as forward Jae Crowder (99), then of the NBA’s Utah Jazz, defends during the second half of an NBA exhibition game in Salt Lake City. In early September 2023, Cotton, a three-time Australian National Basketball League MVP and six-time leading scorer, led Perth in an exhibition series in Henderson, Nevada, against the NBA G League Ignite.
Cotton said he doesn’t think he’s had that many people he knew watching him play in person since high school. That was before his basketball journey took him to the NCAA Division I ranks, where he was a two-time All-Big East selection at Providence, and before stops in the NBA with the Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies.
Basketball has also taken him overseas to China, Turkey and now Australia, where he is a six-time Australia National Basketball League champion, six-time NBL scoring champion and three-time league MVP. Cotton is widely regarded as one of the brightest stars in a league that continues to gain recognition worldwide for the talent it produces.
“To have so much of my family from Tucson and then some people from the neighborhood, like close friends, in there, it was amazing,” Cotton said. “My grandpa actually drove up from Tucson, and I don’t think he ever saw me play any sport as a kid, so that was pretty cool to put on a performance for him.”
And a performance it was.
Perth and the Ignite played two games in Henderson, and Cotton managed just 12 points in the first matchup on Sept. 6. But in the second go-round two days later, Cotton poured in 40 on 12 of 19 from the floor. He hit 8 of 10 from 3 in Perth’s 127-112 victory on Sept. 8.
Former Palo Verde High School standout Bryce Cotton, dribbling the ball in an exhibition game between the Perth Wildcats and Denver Nuggets in 2018, has now won three Australian National Basketball League MVP awards, and is a six-time scoring champion. In September 2023, Cotton led Perth back to the states for an exhibition series in Henderson, Nevada, against the NBA G League Ignite.
“Ever since I was a little kid, if I hit my first shot in the game, it’s usually going to be a good one,” Cotton said.
Despite Perth being almost 10,000 miles and a 26-hour flight from Southern Arizona, Cotton has at least one person in Australia’s fourth-most populous city to trade stories with about Tucson.
Former Arizona Wildcat Keanu Pinder is getting ready to begin his sixth season playing professionally since graduating from the UA in 2018. Pinder provided valuable minutes off the bench during his two seasons in Tucson, part of back-to-back Pac-12 regular-season and tournament championship teams.
“It’s always great memories at Arizona,” Pinder said. “I’m grateful for my time there and getting to play with so many high-level guys. I always make sure to follow what the new guys are doing and root for them in March Madness.”
Pinder blossomed in 2022 with the Cairns Taipans, taking home the NBL’s Most Improved Player award. He won the award again the next season, earning All-NBL Second-Team honors.
Australia’s Keanu Pinder, right, blocks a shot from New Zealand’s Sam Timmins during a semifinal matchup in the FIBA Asia Cup 2022 basketball tournament at Istora Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia on July 23, 2022. As part of the Perth Wildcats of the Australian NBL, Pinder, a former Arizona Wildcat forward, is a teammate of Tucson native Bryce Cotton.
His play got him on NBA radars as well, earning Pinder a spot on the Suns’ Summer League team in Las Vegas this past July. A back injury prevented him from really being able to showcase his talent at the event, but teaming up with Cotton should attract more eyes to the native of Derby, Australia, as he continues to grow his own game.
“Somebody like Bryce creates a lot of space,” Pinder said. “Being on a team with a guy like that, I’m going to be able to set a lot of picks and open up the whole floor for the team to work. I’m trying to keep getting better and playing hard so I can achieve my goals in life.”
As for the city they both used to call home?
“Oh we always talk about Tucson,” Pinder says. “We both have a lot of love for there.”
VIDEO: Highlights of Perth Wildcats vs. NBA G League Ignite on Sept. 8, 2023, in Henderson, Nevada. Former Palo Verde High School standout Bryce Cotton of Tucson scored 40 in the victory for Perth. Former Arizona Wildcat forward Keanu Pinder scored five points and grabbed 6 boards, also for Perth.
