University of North Carolina Athletics
Woody: It's Just A Game for Cota
January 9, 2000 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 9, 2000
"Ed Cota was sensational!"
That was the assessment of Bill Guthridge after Saturday's 83-75 win over N.C. State, and nobody could disagree with him.
Cota--who's closing in on 900 career assists--feels better when he gets the ball to his teammates, but against the Wolfpack he went 8-for-8 from the floor and notched a career high of 23 points. Overall, the Tar Heels knocked in better than 71% of their shots against one of the nation's best defenses. That was the best Carolina shooting percentage in eight years.
"There were times when I was looking for my shot," said the Brooklyn, N.Y., senior. "They were taking us out of our offense, and I was just taking what the defense gave me."
State's Herb Sendek tried a number of defenders on Cota. Justin Gainey, Marshall Williams, Archie Miller and Cliff Crawford took their turns, but none of them had much success. When the Wolfpack trimmed the margin to nine points, 64-55, Cota answered with six straight points.
"They wanted to put fresh legs on me, and make me earn my shots. However, I liked the challenge of seeing different people try to guard me, and I was able to maintain my poise and respond to the challenge."
It was certainly tough trying to crack the N.C. State defense, but it was nothing compared to the real life Cota has endured.
It was nearly 10 years ago--Feb. 25, 1990--when his mother and stepfather were driving from Panama City to Colon in his mother's native country. Suddenly a tire exploded. George Cedeno was thrown from the car, and Cecilia Cota was pinned in the wreckage.
Both survived, but Cota's mother was confined to a hospital in Colon for six months. She eventually had to have a knee and hip replaced. His stepfather fought for life in a Panama City hospital for eight months. Today he is paralyzed from his chest down and confined to a wheelchair.
While his parents were away, the 14-year-old Cota lived with his grandmother in Brooklyn. Shortly after the accident, he put down his school books along with his basketball and turned to the streets. He rolled dice on the sidewalks, and hung out at the wrong places with the wrong people. He was headed in the wrong direction.
Finally his parents came home, and Cota's life began to change. He transferred to Tilden High School and met Rock Eisenberg, the basketball coach. A street-smart hoop junkie with a lot of connections, Eisenberg reached Cota in a way nobody else possibly could. The youngster began to remember his basketball skills, and they flourished under Jere Quinn at St. Thomas More in Oakdale, Conn. That's where Eisenberg eventually placed Cota. It was a much better environment with fewer distractions.
He had never given his mother grief, and Cecilia Cota knew her son wasn't going to be a street guy. Maybe she didn't know when he accepted a scholarship to Carolina he was going to become one of the best players in college basketball.
His parents saw his recent game at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Tar Heels lost to Indiana, but his proud stepfather said, "He plays like a superstar now!"
Considering what Ed Cota has endured to this point in his life, he's able to enjoy basketball as just a game.
