Cotton Keeps His Cool : Mater Dei Freshman Transfer Able to Tune Out the Applause

Schea Cotton makes people nervous.

Mater Dei’s opponents are wary. They all knew of his reputation even before the 6-foot-5, 215-pound freshman transferred from Bellflower St. John Bosco in December. It’s not often a freshman can create such fear, but Cotton is not an ordinary freshman . . .

. . . And that’s why Monarch Coach Gary McKnight is careful, even guarded. It’s an uneasiness that’s understandable, because everyone--and that means everyone --is predicting great things from Cotton . . .

. . . And that makes Cotton’s parents skittish. Their son is talented, they know that. At 15, he is already coveted by college coaches. James Sr. and Gaynell are leery of publicity, to the point where they rarely grant interview requests.

So everyone, from family to friends to foes, seems to be on edge. Everyone, that is, except Schea Cotton.

“I try to stay away from all that stuff,” Cotton said. “I play for myself. You have to keep yourself happy first of all. I’ll deal with everything else later.”

Well, it might be later than he thinks.

In a way, Cotton has no one to blame but himself for all this attention. He does things that no 15-year-old should be able to do.

Against Dana Hills last week, Cotton took a lob pass on the base line and rammed home a dunk. “A seven on the Schea Cotton scale,” according to

Monarch reserve guard Kevin Augustine, a long-time friend.

Moments later, Cotton drilled back-to-back three-pointers. So he’s a threat, inside and out.

“It’s hard to believe he’s a high school kid, then you realize he’s only a freshman and go, ‘Wow!’ ” Dana Hills Coach Jim Wilson said.

Said Orange Coach Richard Bossenmeyer: “It’s one thing for a kid to dunk off a fast break. But this kid grabs rebounds and powers it right through. There aren’t strong-enough superlatives to describe him.”

In eight games with Mater Dei, Cotton has averaged 18.3 points and 9.1 rebounds. Outstanding numbers for a kid playing on an extremely talented team, one that includes Arizona-bound guard Miles Simon, who is averaging 20.2 points.

“I have never seen a kid that does the things (Schea) does,” said McKnight, who has coached more than his share of talented players at Mater Dei. “He has college-type moves, and he has a man’s body. I sometimes forget that he’s only a freshman.”

That can slip your mind.

Even at his tender age, Cotton can mean a lot to a program, even one as good as Mater Dei’s.

Before he arrived, the Monarchs were undefeated and playing well. But they were not recognized by USA Today in its national poll. That changed when Cotton changed schools. As of last week, Mater Dei was ranked 15th and was No. 2 in the West, behind Los Angeles Crenshaw.

Cotton was the only high school freshman invited to the Nike Career Developmental Weekend, which featured 37 of the country’s top prospects.

With such accolades, it’s difficult to remain anonymous.

“People get things out of proportion and they forget how old I am,” Cotton said. “They look at my size and think I’m a man. But you know, I still have the mind of a teen-ager. I’m liable to make mistakes, but people don’t think I should.”

It’s one of the reasons the Cottons have tried to keep their son out of the spotlight.

According to McKnight, the family turned down invitations to two prominent summer basketball camps when Cotton was in eighth grade--camps that usually only bother with high school juniors and seniors.

Expectations have been building since Cotton began playing basketball. It has always been obvious that he is a cut above the rest.

“I’ve got the instinct or whatever,” he said.

Cotton was a superior player by the time he was in junior high school. He was already dunking when he was in the seventh grade.

“We heard Schea could dunk,” said Augustine, who has known Cotton since elementary school. “We had a water break during practice one day. One of the guys said, ‘Let’s see if you can do it.’ ”

Said Cotton: “They wanted to see it. I made believers out of them. I guess dunking is a big thing to those who can’t do it.”

Cotton’s development also was helped when he was held back in the sixth grade,when his family moved from San Pedro to Cerritos.

Gaynell Cotton said their concerns about gang problems led them to put their son at St. Irenaeus Catholic School in Cypress. Since the school did not have any openings for a seventh-grade student, Cotton repeated the sixth grade.

“We enrolled him at a public junior high school, but he was chased by boys the first week,” Gaynell Cotton said. “One day, a boy showed Schea a knife. It was to show Schea that he was going to need something to protect himself.”

But some coaches have speculated that the Cottons held their son back for basketball reasons. Such talk, Gaynell Cotton said, has led the family to avoid interviews. She said they have also remained aloof to keep their son’s feet on the ground.

“Basketball is not a one-person sport,” Gaynell Cotton said. “If it was, it would be golf.

“I’ve heard about kids who get too much publicity and, all of a sudden, their heads are as big as a gym. So far, knock wood, Schea has kept a level head. That’s why we haven’t spoken to anyone.”

Still, attention was unavoidable when Cotton left St. John Bosco.

James Cotton Jr., Schea’s older brother, played two seasons at St. John Bosco. But Schea played in only four games for the Braves, averaging 14.5 points, before leaving.

“I couldn’t play under Coach (Brian) Breslin,” Cotton said. “My brother had success there, but I just felt uncomfortable. When I’m uncomfortable, I don’t play to my ability.”

Cotton said he wanted to attend Mater Dei all along, but his parents preferred that he go to St. John Bosco.

“We felt as parents that his brother went there, so Schea would not be a stranger,” Gaynell Cotton said. “The school had great academics. Also, there were no girls, so Schea could keep focused. But he was unhappy with the basketball program.

“He’s always said that you have a social life, academics and basketball. If one is out of balance, then all three are out of balance.”

Breslin said Cotton never talked to him about leaving. But Breslin said he spoke with Cotton’s parents.

“They thought it was in Schea’s best interest,” Breslin said. “I’m a parent myself. It’s their responsibility to make those decisions.”

Others have not been so generous. Cotton’s transfer raised plenty of eyebrows, not to mention a few questions.

The family, who had moved back to San Pedro two years ago, then moved to Huntington Beach last month. Southern Section officials said the move was verified, which made Cotton immediately eligible at Mater Dei.

“I saw (Mater Dei) before Cotton arrived and they were a very, very fine team,” an Orange County high school coach said. “But, if they had one weakness, it was (at the small forward). Cotton has filled that. It’s amazing how it worked out.”

Said Schea Cotton: “This is where I am. I don’t look back.”

Instead, Cotton has looked ahead. The goal, he said, is to be an impact player in the NBA. It’s a lofty aspiration.

“I have a long way to go,” Cotton said. “That’s why I don’t worry about all the publicity. If people show me articles, I say, ‘That’s fine.’ But I’m not going to be showing you my photo and bragging on it. I have to keep a cool head.”

He’ll let others do the fretting.