Rising star Cotton tipped for bright future
ONE of Australia’s brightest young sporting talents has decided to drop Australian rules and pursue a career in basketball.
Gold Coast’s Indy Cotton is in rarefied air.
Cotton, 15, made the under-17 Australian basketball team as a bottom-age player and his mix of talent on the court and strong character off it has officials believing there is no ceiling on what he can do in the sport.
Cotton will be one of three Gold Coast players to play for the Queensland South boys and girls teams in the upcoming Under-18 National Championships, set to be livestreamed by KommunityTV.
“Indy is one of the brightest young guards coming through the Gold Coast,” Gold Coast Basketball general manager Joel McInnes said of Cotton, the son of Gold Coast Suns AFL academy and development coach Jarrod.
“He had to make the choice between basketball and Aussie rules and he is pursuing his basketball dream at the moment.
“To make the under-17 Australian team as a bottom-age guard is very rare. It is a testament to the talent he has.
“It was a hard decision to make but he is having a crack.
He has total commitment on every play and total focus on becoming a better player.
“As good as he is on the court, off it his leadership is first class. His attitude is exemplary.”
Gold Coast duo Jaya Lowe and Emma Petrie have both taken the torch from their parents to continue their respective family’s basketball success.
Lowe is the daughter of former state league player Bree Lowe while her father John was also a distinguished player.
Petrie is the daughter of NBL veteran Anthony who also coached the Gold Coast Rollers to last year’s NBL1
North championship while mother Sarah had a long career in the WNBL. Her sister Jess represented Australia.
Brisbane will host the 2023 Under 18 National Championships and Kevin Coombs Cup.
State teams from across Australia will battle it out for national glory over eight days from April 8-16, with every match live streamed via KTV.
Full replays will be available after each game, and News Corp’s team of sports reporters will be on the ground covering the biggest moments across the week.
The Kevin Coombs Cup, which will feature the country’s best junior wheelchair basketball athletes from Queensland, Western Australia, NSW, Victoria and South Australia, will kick off on April 13 and run until April 16 for a day of finals.
The U18 National Championships has been split into further state teams to form Queensland South and North, NSW Metro and Country, SA Metro and Country, WA Metro and Country, Victoria Metro and Country, Northern Territory, ACT and Tasmania.
Competition for the U18s begins on April 9, with both the boys and girls divisions to be split into two pools, with finals beginning on April 14 before the grand final on April 16.