University of North Carolina Athletics
Ed Cota Wants To Be Like Ron Harper
March 1, 2000 | Men's Basketball
March 1, 2000
By John Martin
Athletic Media Relations Student Assistant
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Believe it or not, the NBA player Ed Cota most wants to be like is not Mike, but Los Angeles Lakers lead guard Ron Harper.
No disrespect to Harper, but Cota does not admire him so much for his game as for his position. Ever since he was a youngster, Cota has longed to wear the famous purple and gold of the Lakers and play in the shadow of Hollywood.
"I've always been a Lakers fan, and that's always been a dream of mine to play for LA," says Cota, a native of Brooklyn. "It really doesn't matter where I play, but if I had my choice I would choose LA."
e it the Lakers, Clippers or any team in between, one thing is certain about Cota's future. He will make some NBA general manager as happy as he has made the Carolina coaching staff for the last four years.
Cota has given Tar Heel head coach Bill Guthridge a lot to smile about this season in particular. The lone senior starter, Cota has taken it upon himself to lead the Heels in all facets of the game. Time and time again this season he has given Carolina whatever it needs, whenever it needs it.
Cota was at his best distributing the ball in a 102-78 win over UNLV on Dec. 4 in Charlotte, tying Jeff Lebo's single-game school record with 17 assists. When the Heels needed scoring, he dropped a career-high 23 points on 8-8 shooting in the Jan. 8 win over NC State. And when Carolina needed a defensive stop, it was Cota who blocked a Delvon Arrington shot in the final minute of the 70-67 win at Florida State on Feb. 23.
To put it simply, Cota has done it all on the collegiate level. And when he makes the jump to the next level, Cota is open to playing any type of style in the NBA. "It depends on what team I'm on and what type of offense we run, and what I need to do for my team," says Cota, who attended St. Thomas More Academy in Connecticut and Tilden High School in New York City before coming to Chapel Hill. "For this team, first I've got to get everybody else involved, and, if guys aren't clicking, then I've got to do other things out there and maybe I'll shoot more."
When he walks off the court for the final time this spring, Cota will leave as one of the finest point guards to ever play the college game and a consummate leader. He exemplifies what it means to be a true point guard, doing whatever is necessary to get the win.
"Whatever the defense gives, that's what I take," says Cota, who is averaging a career-best 10.7 points per game. "If I've got an open shot, I'll take it. If the big guys are on the block, I've got to get them the ball."
As his senior year winds to a close, Cota's numbers are reaching legendary status. Already Carolina's all-time leading assist man, Cota had amassed 962 assists in his career entering the game at Maryland. That total places his him fourth in NCAA history, trailing only Keith Jennings of East Tennessee State, and a pair of fellow Tobacco Road floor generals * Duke's Bobby Hurley and NC State's Chris Corchiani. Cota is third on the ACC list, ranking behind Hurley and Corchiani. Hurley tops the conference and national charts with 1,076 career dimes.
ut passing players like Seattle Sonics all-star Gary Payton and former Syracuse great Sherman Douglas in the all-time assist ranks was not necessarily a plan of Cota's. He just looks to get his teammates in the flow of the game.
"I never set any goals with assists or anything, I just want to win championships," says Cota, who ranks third nationally with 8.5 assists per game. "I think it's a great accomplishment, and hopefully I'll be able to be in the (NCAA's) top three. But if not, it's not a big deal. It's natural for me to try to get people involved and get assists, so I really don't make a big deal about it."
ut even if he does not tally another assist, Cota will still stand alone in the ACC record books. He is already the only player in league history to compile 1,000 points, 800 assists and 400 rebounds in career. Cota also is well on his way to becoming the only player to lead the conference in assists four times. Virginia's Ralph Sampson and Wake Forest's Tim Duncan, who both led the league in blocks four times, are the only players to lead the ACC in a single statistical category four times.
Cota is also only the fourth player at Carolina to score 1,000 points and have 500 assists in a career, joining the great Tar Heel point guards of the past * Phil Ford, Kenny Smith and Lebo.
Cota, who possesses the uncanny combination of heady play and flashiness, has excelled with a style of play seldom seen in the ACC. His spectacular moves have always been a favorite of late-night highlight shows, such as ESPN's "SportsCenter," and have left many a fan awestruck over the last four years.
"I just go with the flow of the game, and I love having fun while I'm playing," says Cota, a Wooden Award finalist. "If guys are getting up and down the floor I try to do some different things."
Cota's latest exploits include a between-the-legs snap to Brendan Haywood for a dunk in the Heels' 70-62 win at NC State and a behind-the-back wrap-around dribble that has left many open-court defenders standing flat-footed.
ut despite all the successful stunning passes of Cota's Carolina career, the most memorable may be the one that got away. In what is likely the most exciting missed shot in Carolina basketball history, Cota tossed the ball off the glass to a trailing Vince Carter who cocked the ball behind his head and missed a wide-open dunk in the Tar Heels'97-73 win over Duke on Feb. 5, 1998. Even though the play resulted in no points, it will go down as one of the most memorable moments in the ˇ90s for Carolina hoops.
Personal numbers and highlight moves aside, Cota also provided the leadership needed from the point guard position. In his four years at the helm of the Heels, he has been a part of 103 wins. From 1996-98 he piloted Carolina to back-to-back Final Four appearances and ACC Tournament Championships. For the last two seasons he has been the backbone for young Tar Heel teams in need of leadership.
Not the most vocal of players, Cota, who is a model of composure in the most tense situations, leads more by example. But when he speaks, his teammates take his advice to heart.
"I say the same thing before every game: play hard and play hard for 40 minutes," says Cota. "That's all these guys really need."
Though a man of few words, Cota is certainly a man of many assists and memorable moments in Carolina blue. His flair and leadership will be missed in Blue Heaven, but with the game he has formed in Chapel Hill, we will hear a lot from Ed Cota at the next level.
