 | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1976-05-19)May 19, 1976 (age 48) Los Angeles, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Nationality | American / Panamanian | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Samuel J. Tilden (Brooklyn, New York) | ||||||||||||||
| College | North Carolina (1996–2000) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 2000:undrafted | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2000–2008 | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Point guard | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | Gary Steelheads | ||||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | Telindus Oostende | ||||||||||||||
| 2002–2004 | Žalgiris Kaunas | ||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | BC Dynamo Saint Petersburg | ||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Žalgiris Kaunas | ||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Barcelona | ||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Hapoel Jerusalem | ||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Stal Ostrów Wielkopolski | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||
Eduardo Enrique Cota (born May 19, 1976) is a Panamanian-American former professionalbasketball player.
Cota played his freshman and sophomore years atBrooklyn, New York'sSamuel 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 inSt. Thomas More School inOakdale, Connecticut, where he led his team to the New England private school title his junior year as he averaged 21 points and nine assists a game. He was selected for the United States Junior National Select Team and played in the 1996McDonald's All-American Game, which featured future starsJermaine O'Neal,Stephen Jackson,Mike Bibby andKobe 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]
Cota is probably best known to basketball fans for his play atpoint guard for theUniversity of North Carolina (UNC) from 1996 to 2000. At UNC, Cota led the Tar Heels to threeFinal Fours in his four years as a starter. During the 1997–1998 season, Cota was a member of new coachBill Guthridge's successful "Six Starters" rotation withAntawn Jamison,Vince Carter,Shammond Williams,Ademola Okulaja, andMakhtar N'Diaye.
Cota garnered many accolades during his college career. He was named the 1997ACCRookie of the Year and a 1997 FreshmanAll-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 mostassists in a single season. He was named a 1999AP All-America Team Honorable Mention. He earned threeNCAA 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]
Cota was notdrafted by theNBA 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 theGary Steelheads of the minor leagueContinental Basketball Association, where he spent the 2000–2001 season. That season Cota proved his doubters wrong, leading the league in3-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 theBelgian pro team Telindus BC Oostende for the 2001–2002 season. They went on to win the 2001–2002 Belgian National Championship. Cota joinedŽalgiris Kaunas, aLithuanian team, for the 2002–2003 and 2003–2004 seasons, during which he consecutively led theEuroleague in assists. Cota's team won the Lithuanian National Championship both season.[5] Cota also played in the 2004 Lithuanian All-Star Game.
Cota joinedBC Dynamo Saint Petersburg, a member of theRussian Basketball Super League that competes as a member ofFIBAEurope, in 2004–2005. It was the club's first year of existence. The Dynamo went undefeated in theFIBA 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 toSpain to play forFC 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 theLos Angeles Clippers,Indiana Pacers, andWashington Wizards.
Cota competed internationally with thePanama men's national basketball team (his parents were from Panama and he maintainsdual citizenship status) at the2006 FIBA World Championship tournament.
Cota signed with Israeli sideHapoel Jerusalem for the 2006–7 season. In January 2008 he joinedAtlas Stal Ostrów Wielkopolski playing inPolishDominet Bank Ekstraliga.
 | This section mayrequirecleanup to meet Wikipedia'squality standards. The specific problem is:The table is full of incorrect information (MPG, FG%); It also require "Career row" which currently doesn't exist. Please helpimprove this section if you can.(November 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| 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 |
| 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 |
