Cotton’s Changing Role

Heading into this season most pundits believed that Providence was only going as far as their star point guard would take them. Through the first two games this has certainly held true, except that the point guard was not who everyone expected.  When Vincent Council went down with a strained hamstring five minutes into the season Bryce Cotton assumed the point guard duties and has done an admirable job through the first two games.

Until Council and Kris Dunn return, any success the Friars are going to have is going to be largely dependent on how Cotton is able to handle the point guard duties. Below is a closer look at how Cotton has fared in his first two games in his new role, and what he is going to need to do going forward in order to keep the Friars on track.

Through the First Two Games:

N.J.I.T.:

Bryce had a solid stat line with 21 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals, earning praise from Ed Cooley for stepping into a role he was not accustomed to.  Cotton commented, both after the NJIT victory and in the preseason, that going into the offseason he knew that he had to work on his ball-handling, knowing that he could very well have to step into minutes at point guard this year.  Asked if he was prepared to lead the team as the point guard for an indefinite period going forward Cotton responded in his typical fashion, noting he was “prepared to do whatever it takes to win.”

Bryant:

It was a second great stat line Monday night against Bryant, as Cotton went for 24 points on 6-13 shooting, 8-11 from the foul line, with six assists and only four turnovers in 40 minutes.  Perhaps most impressively, he set a career-high in pulling down 11 rebounds.  Cooley commented after the game that Cotton keeps on getting better and better in his new role leading the offense.

The junior once again found success driving the ball to the basket, while his outside shot was still there (4-7 from three point range).  He has been somewhat inconsistent from the foul line this year, missing three more at the line on Monday, dropping his shooting percentage at the stripe to 70% — solid for many, but down for a player who shot 89% last season.

Looking Ahead: 

For the Friars to have any success there are several things that Cotton will have to continue doing, and improve upon, until the calvary (Council and Dunn) arrives.

• He’ll have to play 40 minutes a game. There is no one else on the team who can play point guard.
• Obviously, if he is going to be playing 40 minutes a night, Cotton is going to have to stay out of foul trouble. In the first two games he has been able to do so. Key to staying out of foul trouble will be not picking up a quick early foul. Cooley does not have the luxury of taking him out in the first half if he picks up his second, so Cotton may to play more tentatively on the defensive end for the rest of the half. This could also lead to him driving to the basket less aggressively early in order to prevent picking up a second or third foul on a charge.
• He is going to have to handle pressure and the full-court press. The press is coming and coming hard. Teams are going to start pressing the Friars all over the court in order to tire out Cooley’s “sexy seven”, and to also see if they can rattle Cotton into turning the ball over. How well Cotton handles the pressure will play a large part in determining what kind of success the Friars will have in the next couple of games.
• Without Council in the lineup to set up Cotton for his outside shot, PC’s big men are going to have to continue to look to kick the ball back out to continue to get him looks at the basket.  Cooley was able to get the big men to do this in the Bryant game and this will have to continue. In addition, Cotton is going to have to be able to make some outside shots off the dribble as the ball will be in his hands most of the game.
• Clearly, Cotton was used to playing a lot of minutes last year (38.6 minutes per game), but running the show for 40 minutes is a whole new level of intensity. Cooley will have to try and have Josh Fortune and LaDontae Henton bring the ball up at times, and perhaps run the offense for a couple of plays as well. The team may also have to play some zone in order to give Cotton a breather.
• Finally, Cotton will need to pass the ball to players in their spots. Getting Fortune and Henton good looks from the outside is imperative, as is feeding the ball into Kadeem Batts in the paint as the Friars did effectively against Bryant. Fortune, Batts, and Henton will all have to score in double figures for the Friars to have success, and getting them the ball in their favorite spots is the key.

Email Craig at craig.leighton@friarbasketball.com

30 Comments

You must be logged in to post a comment Login