Bryce Cotton continues to etch his name into NBL folklore, adding yet another Most Valuable Player award to his ever-growing trophy cabinet.
This was the sixth time Cotton accepted the Andrew Gaze Trophy as the NBL’s MVP, which puts him just one behind the award’s namesake, who won seven over the course of his illustrious career.
Cotton won the award on the back of yet another season of substantial production, averaging 25.7 points and 7.6 assists per game — both league-leading, with the 33-year-old claiming his ninth NBL scoring title — as he guided the Adelaide 36ers to a top-two finish in his first season with the franchise.
“I came a long way, man,” Cotton told ESPN.
“I came a long way from Tucson, Arizona. At the time, in that city, not a lot of people made it out… I was blessed to be one of those few people, so I just wanna continue to make the ride as long as I can. That’s what motivates me.”
While Cotton has been the clear-cut winner of this award over the last two seasons, this season proved different, with just two votes separating the 36ers guard with Sydney Kings import Kendric Davis. Cotton finished with 96 total votes, just ahead of Davis, who had 94.
“There’s not one individual player that takes me to another level,” Cotton said.
“I’m always highly self-motivated. But, when you play against great players, it brings the best out of you. Obviously Kendric is a hell of a player. It’s a joy to play against him, and I’ve got nothing but respect for him, because that’s how you get better as a player; you compete against guys that are tough to play against.”
Cotton is now just one MVP away from tying Gaze, who won seven over the course of his illustrious career.
“I don’t think about it,” Cotton said of the idea of chasing the trophy’s namesake.
“At the end of the day, Gaze is great in his own right. I’m great in my own right. He’s got seven MVPs; two championships. I’ve got six MVPs, three championships, two Finals MVPs. We’re great in our own right. We played in different times. No one can take away the things we’ve done, or what we’re doing.
Both Nathan Sobey and Kristian Doolittle finished with 59 votes.
Bryce Cotton continues to etch his name into NBL folklore, adding yet another Most Valuable Player award to his ever-growing trophy cabinet. Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images for NBL
Cotton and Davis headlined an All-NBL First Team, alongside Sobey, Doolittle, and John Brown III.
The All-NBL Second Team featured Bryce Hamilton, Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Jack McVeigh, Xavier Cooks, and Zylan Cheatham.
Brian Goorjian kept the night’s legacy-building theme alive, adding a seventh Coach of the Year trophy to his Hall of Fame résumé after expertly guiding the Kings through a standout regular season campaign.
The Kings began the season 3-5 but quickly found an identity — a defensive-minded, gritty one, in the image of Goorjian — that would lift them to the No. 1 seed on the NBL ladder, with the team finishing the season on an 11-game winning streak.
The ever-credentialed Goorjian received 56 votes, while King was slightly behind with 48 votes.
Brown III was also the recipient of what was probably the most predictable outcome of the evening, winning Defensive Player of the Year. In his first season in the NBL, Brown III was a menace on the defensive end, with his hard-nosed, aggressive, pesty nature making it difficult for the Phoenix’s opponents to function offensively. Brown III — led the NBL with 2.0 steals per game — was the runaway winner of the award, with 75 total votes. The next best was Will Magnay, who received 27 votes.
Flynn Cameron’s move to the Adelaide 36ers led to more opportunity, and he used that to put together his most productive campaign yet and walk away with the league’s Most Improved Player award.
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Cameron averaged 12.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game — while shooting 40.8% from beyond the three-point line — which is up from 5.3 points per game in limited minutes with Melbourne United last season. He received 51 votes, while Makuach Maluach finished in second with 39 votes.
Angus Glover won the league’s Sixth Man of the Year trophy, thanks to his shooting exploits off the bench for the Phoenix. The 27-year-old averaged 10.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, shooting 36.5% from downtown for a Phoenix team that was consistently a top-three team throughout the season.
Glover dominated with a vote-count of 64, with his ex-teammate Kouat Noi finishing in second with 44 votes.
Sam Mennenga won the Next Generation award, emerging as a star-level big-man in the NBL ahead of what’s expected to be a fruitful free agency for the Kiwi. The 24-year-old averaged 17.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game for the New Zealand Breakers, which is up from 11.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game the season prior. He received 65 votes, finishing ahead of Karim Lopez (43 votes.)
Final votes
Andrew Gaze Trophy for Most Valuable Player
Bryce Cotton (Adelaide 36ers) — 96 votes
Kendric Davis (Sydney Kings) — 94 votes
Kristian Doolittle (Perth Wildcats) and Nathan Sobey (South East Melbourne Phoenix) — 59 votes
Lindsay Gaze Trophy for Coach of the Year
Brian Goorjian (Sydney Kings) — 56 votes
Josh King (South East Melbourne Phoenix) — 48 votes
Mike Wells (Adelaide 36ers), John Rillie (Perth Wildcats) and Scott Roth (Tasmania JackJumpers) — 23 votes
Most Improved Player
Flynn Cameron (Adelaide 36ers) — 51 votes
Makuach Maluach (Sydney Kings) — 39 votes
Sam Mennenga (New Zealand Breakers) — 35 votes
Best Sixth Man
Angus Glover (South East Melbourne Phoenix) — 64 votes
Kouat Noi (Sydney Kings) — 44 votes
Majok Deng (Tasmania JackJumpers) — 33 votes
Damian Martin Trophy for the Best Defensive Player
John Brown III (South East Melbourne Phoenix) — 75 votes
Will Magnay (Tasmania JackJumpers) – 27 votes
Kristian Doolittle (Perth Wildcats) — 24 votes
Step One Next Generation Award
Sam Mennenga (New Zealand Breakers) – 65 votes
Karim Lopez (New Zealand Breakers) — 43 votes
Owen Foxwell (South East Melbourne Phoenix) — 38 votes
All-NBL First Team
Bryce Cotton (Adelaide 36ers) — 54 votes
Kendric Davis (Sydney Kings) — 52 votes
Nathan Sobey (South East Melbourne Phoenix) — 52 votes
Kristian Doolittle (Perth Wildcats) — 51 votes
John Brown III (South East Melbourne Phoenix) — 36 votes
All-NBL Second Team
Jack McVeigh (Cairns Taipans) — 31 votes
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (New Zealand Breakers) — 30 votes
Xavier Cooks (Sydney Kings) — 30 votes
Bryce Hamilton (Tasmania JackJumpers) — 28 votes
Zylan Cheatham (Adelaide 36ers) — 23 votes
