Cotton Catching On

November 21, 2007

Cotton catching on

Kenny Walter
OwlScoop.com Staff Writer

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When Kamesha Hairston graduated to the WNBA, Temple women's basketball coach Dawn Staley lost a little more than eight rebounds and almost 19 points per game.

Replacing that kind of production wasn't going to be easy, but junior college transfer Shanea Cotton has done her best through three games to fill the void.

The 6-foot-4 post player isn't necessarily looking to be the scorer Hairston was, but she has been more than willing to establish a presence on the glass. In Temple's first three games, Cotton is averaging 4.3 points and 9.3 rebounds.

"It's going to be a hard adjustment [without Hairston]," Cotton said, "but with our incoming freshmen, and with our team being a tight-knit family, it's going to be a good transition."

Cotton is no stranger to accolades. At Mississippi's Harrison Central High School, she was the state's 5A Championship MVP, leading her team to a 26-4 record en rote to garnering all-conference and all-state honors. She was also named as one of the state's top 12 basketball players, which Mississippi called its "Dandy Dozen."

At Gulf Coast Community College, Cotton led her team to the FCCAA State Championship game, averaging 13.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. She was named a Kodak/WBCA All-American and elected to sign with Temple, where she knew she would have the opportunity to play for a former Olympian and WNBA all-star.

"Dawn Staley is one of the main reasons why I came to Temple," Cotton said. "It's a thrill to play for somebody with such experience and such a background."

Cotton also doesn't appear to be afraid to admit her shortcomings.

"One thing I want to improve on is my listening skills," Cotton said. "My teammates say I have a hard time listening. Coach Staley puts me in my place if I'm not listening."

She appears to be getting the message so far. Cotton's Temple debut saw her score nine points and grab 12 rebounds in a win over Central Michigan. She collected 12 more rebounds at No. 8 Georgia last week and four boards at Georgia Tech.

Playing alongside forward Lady Comfort, Cotton could make Temple a very good team in the frontcourt.

"Shanea is going to help us," Staley said. "She's long. She can run the floor like a gazelle. She's just bringing an experienced post player to the team. She is coming in ready to play.

"The reason I got on her so much is that I think she can help us right away. I feel she can play a lot of minutes for us, but I have to put them through the ringers to prove it."

The games at Georgia and Georgia Tech were challenging enough, and now Cotton and the Owls will travel to play the likes of Duke and Purdue in the Paradise Jam this weekend. Temple (1-2) will face the No. 9 Blue Devils Friday at 6 p.m. and the No. 22 Boilermakers. After that, they could face either No. 2 Connecticut, No. 4 Stanford or an undefeated Old Dominion team.

Competing with the nation's elite is a goal of Staley's and her players, but Cotton wants to keep one goal in mind.

"I just want to be a threat, and I want to be a go-to person," Cotton said. "And as a team, we want to win the A-10, and we'll go from there."

Cotton was mindful of team chemistry when she arrived at Temple. Like so many other players, she was the leader of every team she had been on since high school.

Now, she's content to find her role and continue in her growth as a frontcourt presence.

"I'm a very humble person," Cotton said. "I can just follow a leader."



OwlScoop.com staff writer Kenny Walter can be reached at kenneth.walter@temple.edu.