Former Palo Verde standout Bryce Cotton has signed to play basketball for Miami Dade College next season, ending a summer-long search for a scholarship days before the start of the school year.
Miami Dade is perennially one of the top junior colleges in the country, winning a Southern Conference championship in 2009. The Sharks were ranked as high as No. 3 nationally two seasons ago.
Cotton, who averaged 22.6 points per game last season with the Titans, received a full ride. Palo Verde coach Chris Klassen said playing in Miami will mean Cotton will receive looks from Division I coaches on a regular basis in the competitive Southeast basketball environment.
"As far as waiting until the last minute, if you can't find a D-1 scholarship, this is absolutely the best thing that could happen," Klassen said. "There's no doubt in my mind that big things will be heard from Bryce over the next couple years."
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UA VOLLEYBALL
Cats ranked No. 18 in preseason
The Arizona Wildcats volleyball team was picked No. 18 Tuesday in the American Volleyball Coaches Association's Preseason Top 25 poll.
The Wildcats, who last week were picked to finish fourth overall in the Pac-10, return four starters from last season's NCAA tournament team.
Other Pac-10 teams in the preseason Top 25 were No. 4 Stanford, No. 8 Washington, No. 10 USC, No. 16 UCLA and No. 20 Oregon. Last season the conference had eight teams in the Top 25 on multiple occasions.
UA will host its annual Red-Blue scrimmage at 3 p.m. Saturday at McKale Center.
MISCELLANEOUS
12 from UA at Pan Pacific event
Twelve swimmers with ties to the UA will compete at the Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, Calif., today through Sunday: Michael Alexandrov, Amanda Beard, Annie Chandler and Christine Magnuson of the United States; Jean Basson, Lyndon Ferns and Roland Schoeman of South Africa; Chelsey Salli, Lindsay Seemann and Jake Tapp of Canada; Nicolas Nilo Oliveira of Brazil; and Masayuki Kishida of Japan.
• Mike Russell of the Stone Canyon Club, Glen Griffith of Tucson Golf Schools and Derek Deminsky of Forty Niner Country Club were tied for the lead after the first round of the Southwest Section PGA, Southern Chapter Championships.
The three pros shot 5-under-par 67s Tuesday at Randolph North Golf Course.
Steven Hughes of La Paloma Country Club was next at 68, followed at 69 by Josh Brown of La Paloma and Rich Elias of Torres Blancas Golf Club.
The tournament concludes Thursday.
Includes material from news releases
