Palo Verde High School grad Bryce Cotton’s final college basketball game was his best. The 6-foot-1-inch guard scored 36 points, handed out eight assists, snagged five rebounds, had two steals and played all 40 minutes in Friday’s two-point NCAA loss to North Carolina.
Tar Heels coach Roy Williams told the media: “I’ve coached a long time and had a lot of people play against me. Bryce Cotton played one of the best games I’ve ever seen anybody play against us. My whole thought defensively was what can we do to stop him? He was truly dominating the game.”
Cotton completed his Providence career with 1,975 points. He was the Big East Tournament MVP and finished the season with 763 points in 35 games. Here’s some context: Sean Elliott scored 735 points in 33 games in his senior season at Arizona, 1988-89, when he was the NCAA Player of the Year.
Cotton isn’t listed on anyone’s draft board, which means he’ll likely begin his post-Providence days in Europe. But he’s never going to forget his lone NCAA appearance: He met NBA legend David Robinson and climbed to fourth on Providence’s career scoring list.
