May 16, 2014
Heart & Soul
In more ways than one, Bryce Cotton ’14 personified the unforgettable 2013-14 Providence College men’s basketball team.
Undersized and underappreciated, Cotton paid a price to be a Friar, traveling all the way across the country from his Tucson, Ariz., home. In reality, he had little choice because his only big-time scholarship offer came from PC, that small Catholic school with big expectations rooted in tradition and pride.
The odds were against Cotton and the Friars, but they didn’t care.
Night after night, game after game, the All-America point guard — forced to play his senior year out of position because of injuries and suspensions — played all-out from the first whistle to the last (39.9 minutes per game), leading the Friars to 23 wins, an unexpected BIG EAST Tournament Championship, and a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a decade.
Cotton’s teammates bought in, heart and soul, bringing their best performances to the biggest stages and returning the Friar program to glory.
Plucky and gritty, Cotton and his teammates persevered through tough times, including three straight losses as the calendar turned from 2013 to 2014, ultimately achieving more than all but their most optimistic fans could have hoped. Along the way, the smallest school in any of the major conferences proved that Friar basketball is back. In a big way.
