Ed Cota

Ed Cota
	Barcelona
2006–2007	Hapoel Jerusalem
2007–2008	Stal Ostrów Wielkopolski
Career highlights and awards
	FIBA Europe League All-Star (2005); Lithuanian Basketball League All-Star (2004); 3× Second-team All-ACC (1998–2000); ACC Rookie of the Year (1997); ACC All-Freshman Team (1997); Second-team Parade All-American (1996); McDonald's All-American (1996);
Men's Basketball
Representing Panama
Centrobasket

Eduardo Enrique Cota (born May 19, 1976) is a Panamanian-American former professional basketball player.

High school career

Cota played his freshman and sophomore years at Brooklyn, New York's Samuel J. Tilden High School. As a sophomore, he averaged 31.5 points, 11 assists and six steals per game and led his team to the semifinals of the New York Public School Athletic League.^[1]

Cota underwent a devastating family tragedy in the ninth grade when his parents were in a car accident in Panama that would hospitalize them for several years. His mother spent a year in the hospital, his stepfather spent two and left in a wheelchair, never to regain use of his legs. He struggled to stay on track in school but was helped by the return of his mother and help from his high school coach Eric Eisenberg to get him counseling and find a prep school to attend to get a fresh start.^[2]

He then enrolled in

McDonald's All-American Game, which featured future stars Jermaine O'Neal, Stephen Jackson, Mike Bibby and Kobe Bryant. The one-time truant high school student also excelled in the classroom, eventually finishing his high school career as an honor-roll student.^[1]

Collegiate career

Cota is probably best known to basketball fans for his play at

Makhtar N'Diaye

.

Cota garnered many accolades during his college career. He was named the 1997 ACC Rookie of the Year and a 1997 Freshman All-America. Cota was the leading vote-getter on the 1997 All-ACC Freshman Team. He earned 2nd-Team All-Conference honors three years in a row, as a sophomore (1998), junior (1999) and senior (2000).^[3] As a sophomore, he broke the ACC record for most assists in a single season. He was named a 1999 AP All-America Team Honorable Mention. He earned three NCAA All-Regional Team selections as a senior while leading UNC to another Final Four. By the time his college career concluded, he had become the first player in NCAA basketball history to score 1,000 points, and have 1,000 assists and 500 rebounds in a career. Additionally, he finished with the third highest assist total in NCAA history, and owns the record for most assists in a career at Carolina. Remarkably, Cota also played an NCAA record 138 games without ever fouling out.^[4]

Professional career

Cota was not

NBA after graduating from North Carolina. His lack of height (6' 0") and jump shot were cited as a major impediments to success as a pro. Instead, he was drafted by the Gary Steelheads of the minor league Continental Basketball Association, where he spent the 2000–2001 season. That season Cota proved his doubters wrong, leading the league in 3-point

shooting with a 48.5% mark.

After that season, Cota left the CBA and began what would become a very successful basketball career in Europe. He signed with the

Euroleague in assists. Cota's team won the Lithuanian National Championship both season.^[5]

Cota also played in the 2004 Lithuanian All-Star Game.

Cota joined

FIBA Europe League that season and won the championship.^[6]

Cota played in the 2005 FIBA Europe League All-Star Game.

After his stint in St. Petersburg, Cota returned to Lithuania and Žalgiris Kaunas to start the 2005–2006 season, but moved to

FC Barcelona before the season ended.^[7]

Despite his success overseas, Cota continued to work toward the goal of playing in the NBA. Over the years, he has played on the NBA Summer League squads of the Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers, and Washington Wizards.

Cota competed internationally with the

dual citizenship status) at the 2006 FIBA World Championship

tournament.

Cota signed with Israeli side

Dominet Bank Ekstraliga

.

Career statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	PIR	Performance Index Rating
Bold	Career high

	Led the league

Euroleague


Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG	PIR
2001–02	Telindus Oostende	8	7	32.0	.550	.281	.649	2.9	5.1	1.5	.1	14.6	14.0
2002–03	Zalgiris	14	14	35.5	.508	.208	.784	4.6	6.5	1.2	.1	12.1	16.5
2003–04	Zalgiris	20	19	36.2	.513	.465	.754	3.6	5.7	1.6	.1	13.4	16.2
2005–06	Barcelona	20	10	20.0	.423	.211	.667	2.8	2.6	.7	.1	3.3	5.0

References

^ ^a ^b "University of North Carolina - Official Athletic Site". tarheelblue.cstv.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2006. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
^ "Random Thoughts". Archived from the original on November 18, 2007. Retrieved September 14, 2007.
^ theACC.com – The Official Athletic Site of the Atlantic Coast Conference
^ NCAA stats from NCAA.org Archived May 28, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
^ Players Index: Ed Cota Archived June 20, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
^ FIBA Europe
^ "COTA, EDUARDO". Archived from the original on May 25, 2002.

External links

Euroleague.net profile

[autogenerated1-1] "University of North Carolina - Official Athletic Site". tarheelblue.cstv.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2006. Retrieved January 15, 2022.

[2] "Random Thoughts". Archived from the original on November 18, 2007. Retrieved September 14, 2007.

[3] theACC.com – The Official Athletic Site of the Atlantic Coast Conference

[4] NCAA stats from NCAA.org Archived May 28, 2008, at the Wayback Machine

[5] Players Index: Ed Cota Archived June 20, 2006, at the Wayback Machine

[6] FIBA Europe

[7] "COTA, EDUARDO". Archived from the original on May 25, 2002.

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