Wildcats dismiss Williams' NBL pot shots

Former NBL player Corey Williams has described star Perth import Bryce Cotton as a one-hit wonder.

Bryce Cotton of the Wildcats drives to the basket

Perth have rejected ex-NBL player Corey Williams' call of Bryce Cotton (pic) as a one-hit wonder. (AAP)

Perth coach Trevor Gleeson says he couldn't care less what Corey Williams thinks, despite the former NBL star taking a cheap shot at Wildcats import Bryce Cotton.

Last week, Williams called Cotton a one-hit wonder after the American's slow start to the NBL season.

The comment was in reference to Cotton's record-breaking 45-point haul in last season's grand-final win over Illawarra.

The Wildcats had just come off consecutive losses this campaign to New Zealand when Williams made his comments.

But the defending champions bounced back in style with away wins over Brisbane and Melbourne.

Cotton poured in 24 points in each of those two wins, with the Wildcats' 91-59 demolition of Melbourne United on enemy territory making the rest of the competition stand up and take notice.

After the win over Brisbane, Cotton dismissed Williams' comments, saying his sole attention was on winning another championship - something he wasn't sure Williams had achieved.

Gleeson, who coached Williams while at the Townsville Crocodiles, was equally dismissive of the comments.

"That's just noise from someone who doesn't know that much," Gleeson said.

"Corey's always got an opinion. I had three great years coaching Corey - a lot of respect for him. But Bryce is a quality player."

The Wildcats (7-3) trail only the Breakers (9-1) on the NBL table.

Perth import Derek Cooke Jr also copped some criticism leading up to the Wildcats' recent road wins, but Gleeson said the negative comments hadn't affected his players.

"It's the same as last year - everyone was writing us off at Christmas, saying we won't make the playoffs," Gleeson said.

"We don't listen to outside noise. What's most important is in our video room and how we talk to each other.

"We put the old Maxwell Smart cone of silence on there.

"They (Cotton and Cooke) are two quality people who work really hard."

The Wildcats will get the chance to earn some revenge against the Breakers when the two teams clash on December 1 in New Zealand.


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Source: AAP



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