Cotton Cottons to Idea of Becoming a Bruin

In a step toward a potentially momentous UCLA late-signing period, forward Schea Cotton, one of the most heralded high school basketball players in the nation, said Sunday night he will attend the school if he can meet its academic eligibility requirements.

Cotton’s statement of his intent came with intriguing timing. Santa Monica Crossroads point guard Baron Davis, considered the Bruins’ most important recruit in years, is slated to announce his school choice tonight.

If Cotton is eligible for the 1997-98 season, and if Davis--who said in the fall he would go to UCLA but decided not to sign after Jim Harrick was fired as coach in November--signs with UCLA, the Bruins will have transformed an unspectacular recruiting class into one of the best in two days.

“At UCLA, I can come in and gel with all the talent that’s already there,” said Cotton, who missed most of his junior season and all of his senior season at Bellflower St. John Bosco because of injuries. Cotton, who is 6 feet 5 and 210 pounds, was named the CIF Southern Section Division I player of the year as a sophomore at Santa Ana Mater Dei High.

“I don’t have to worry about having the spotlight all on me at the beginning,” he said. “That’s real important to me, because I haven’t played for a whole year and I just want to get adjusted to college life.”

Because of NCAA rules, UCLA cannot comment on recruits until the school receives a signed letter of intent, and the school cannot offer Cotton a scholarship until he meets academic requirements.

Cotton, who made his official UCLA visit last weekend and picked the Bruins over USC, said he was impressed with Coach Steve Lavin and the UCLA coaching staff and knew he might not start immediately.

“I liked USC a lot, but for where I am right now in my life, UCLA is the place I need to be,” he said. “I thought a lot about what Ron Mercer did [at Kentucky]. He came in his first year and he did well, but he didn’t have all the pressure on him at the beginning. Then, this year, he just blew up.”

Mercer led the Wildcats to the NCAA finals as a sophomore and has said he is leaving school to seek inclusion in the NBA draft.

Cotton, who has not received a qualifying score on the Scholastic Assessment Test in two tries, is scheduled to try again June 11.

He was recently released from a letter of intent with Long Beach State after his brother James announced he was skipping his senior season and declaring himself eligible for the NBA draft.

Cotton transferred from St. John Bosco to Mater Dei during his freshman year. As a sophomore, he led Mater Dei to a 36-1 record and the state Division I title. He averaged 24 points and 10 rebounds.

He transferred back to St. John Bosco in May 1995, but suffered a broken bone in his left hand. Cotton didn’t play as a senior because he severely injured his left shoulder during a summer tournament.