Cotton a quiet but competitive — and energetic — leader

Alison Cotton, a fourth-year guard/forward, has grown into a leader as captain of the Fanshawe Falcons’ women’s basketball team. A tenacious defender, she leads by example — and she’s having her best season yet.

(Photo: Fanshawe Athletics).

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You wouldn’t even recognize her. The Alison Cotton who walked onto the Glenn Johnston Athletic Centre court four years ago wasn’t a leader. Everyone knew it. Her coaches. Her teammates. Even Alison herself.

She was too quiet, too shy. She wasn’t ready.

Sure, Cotton knew hoops as well as anyone in the gym. Her on-court toughness had been crafted playing against her sisters growing up – and the stiffest competition around playing for one of the city’s elite training programs.

But she wasn’t the leader she needed to be.

Fortunately, when she arrived at Fanshawe College, she was surrounded by talent on a team led by fourth- and fifth-year athletes; she had plenty of role models who made her into the leader she is today.

“I looked up to them a lot. I saw how they would coach us younger players if we were doing something wrong. They would correct us, show us how we should do something,” Cotton said. “That’s something I kept. I’ve found that it’s OK to tell our young players, our rookies, they’re making a mistake and help correct them. That’s important.

“I know rookies on this team look up to the older players, as well, so just being a good role model to them and helping them is important to me. I try to be open when they come up to me and ask questions.”

Cotton, 22, grew up in the game – from a teacher spotting her talent in Grade 2, to playing organized ball in Grade 3, to joining the London Ramblers program in Grade 4.

“I was pretty good at my age. I played against the boys in Grade 2, and I was driving to the basket and beating them. I worked hard out there, and coaches were like, ‘OK, this girl is not giving up.’”

She was already an athlete – a gymnast and a swimmer. But basketball became her love. In fact, the game took over the house. Three sisters played hoops – a real surprise to their parents, who had no background in the game prior to their girls taking to the court.

Younger sister Isabella is in her first year playing with Laurier University; older sister Zoe played for Queen’s University. Alison called both sisters teammates at Mother Teresa Catholic Secondary School.

Cotton credits the London Ramblers with accelerating her game. The local program has an incredible record for player development, especially on the women’s side. Alumna Bridget Carleton of the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx – and Canada’s senior national team – highlights a growing list of talent among the professional, collegiate, and prep ranks.

“I got to work with a lot of high-level coaches and play against a lot of high-level players. You’re playing with and against the best,” said Cotton, who would love to stay involved with the Ramblers program long after her playing career ends. “The coaches were a huge reason I stuck with them. Instead of going to another team that might not have the coaching experience the Ramblers do, I stayed, like a lot of other players who come from out of town to play for the Ramblers. The coaching is that good and that means the competition is that much better to play against.”

A desire to stay close to home opened the door to playing at Fanshawe College. Opting against Grade 13, Cotton was recruited to a 2018-19 Falcons squad loaded with talent.

“That summer, I met all the team. Honestly, I felt like it was the right decision right then. I liked the coaches. The athletes were all talented. It was a good situation for me. I was able to learn more about the game from all the older players,” Cotton said.

That team turned out to be one of the best in Fanshawe history. The Falcons finished the season tied for fifth in the nation with a 24-3 record. It was the school’s best finish in 24 years.

(Photo: Fanshawe Athletics).

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Year after year, Cotton started to grow into the player – and the leader – her coach knew she could be.

“She has an unbelievable motor; she’s like the Energizer Bunny,” said Bill Carriere, Fanshawe College’s Women’s Head Coach. “She works so hard. She’s always in great shape, sets a great example of work ethic for the rest of the kids. That’s what we expect of our experienced players. She’s in her fourth year and we need that kind of example-setting for our younger players. We love what she does in that regard.”

Toughness. Rebounds. Running the floor extremely well. But her best attribute, according to her coach, is her defensive skill. She’s one of the team’s top defenders, always assigned one of the top players on opposing squads. That’s important, as this year’s squad relies on its defense, as it has struggled to find its offensive footing.

“I’m competitive. Every time I go out there, I work hard. I’m never gonna give up. I’m gonna keep working hard, especially on defense,” Cotton said. “I’m a big believer that hard work on defense means your offense will come. I want the person I’m guarding to get the ball. I’m not going to let them go by me. I’m going to walk them down. I’m going to stop them. I don’t want them to score. They aren’t going to get 20 points. Maybe they’ll get 4. That’s what I focus on.”

The 5-foot-9-inch guard’s work on defense starts well before she takes the court with studying scouting reports. She eyes their weaknesses. Cotton has quick feet, a first step that puts her into perfect position.

She also talks. Maybe that’s surprising to hear about the quiet leader.

“I tend to talk a lot on defense. I’m always just ‘blah blah blah’ trying to get in their head, trying to get them to fumble the ball. I don’t ‘shit talk’ too much, but if someone bothers me, I’ll say something random.”

She knows she has them when they pick up the ball or, better yet, ask for help shedding her on D.

“If I’m not scoring on offense, I make it up on defense,” Cotton said.

Defensive toughness is just part of Cotton’s larger makeup, Carriere explained.

“One of her greatest qualities is the way she competes. We saw that early on when she was in high school, and it has continued throughout her four seasons she’s been with us. She’s such a committed kid, competitive.”

That commitment has led her to becoming the team’s captain, a position of leadership handpicked by the coaching staff. “She’s quiet, not outspoken, but having said that the other players respect that because anytime she speaks it’s received with great value and respect.”

This season, the fourth-year captain is averaging 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists for the 5-3 Falcons, who return to action from the winter break Wednesday (Jan. 11). She’s shooting 40.6% from the field. All are career highs.

But while the numbers are nice, Cotton is proudest of the leader she has grown into over her four years.

During the pandemic season, she discovered a new level of discipline, dedicating herself to practice schedules and training. She loves that process behind the game, the practices, weight training and all that goes into creating a player. She finds it fun, a release from the stress of school.

As a team leader, she knows her place is to be more vocal today. In practice. During the game. It has also changed who she is off the court, finding more confidence in the classroom, becoming more comfortable making presentations or speaking up.

“I’ve grown as a person,” Cotton said.

With an eye on a return for a fifth season, Cotton knows her role as a leader of the squad will only grow.

“In the game, if (teammates) get down, it’s important to be a good leader and go and ask them if they’re OK and help them along the way. I got helped out when I was a rookie. It can be scary as a rookie. They’re playing a lot of minutes this year, so it’s important they know that they have leaders.”