For everyone who was wondering what happened to Ed Cota, we hear from a
source close to his current team that he didn't play in Cameron "because he was embarassed he is not in the league, and couldn't take the
abuse."
Not necessarily admirable, but understandable. It's a long drop for Cota, who
not too long ago was expected to be a force at point guard in the NBA. We
thought at least Jerry West would burn a late pick on him, but no.
Anyway, we were looking forward to the visit like most Duke fans, as a chance
to give a rival a hard time once more, but from Cota's point of view here's a
guy who was supposed to make the majors, and not just that, but was also, one
suspects, counting on an NBA contract to help support his parents, who had major
health problems after their well-known automobile accident while Cota was in
high school.
We've never been big Cota fans, but that's more because he played for our
rival than because of anything personal. For the most part, when guys
leave, we don't think of them as rivals anymore. So best of luck to Ed and
we sincerely hope he can maximize his professional potential. We didn't
always enjoy playing against him, but he was without question a worthy
opponent. That's why the Crazies relished his visits. They never
waste energy on someone like, say, Terrence Newby or Quentin Jackson. Being
singled out in Cameron is a sign of respect. There was never any question
that Cota was respected in Cameron.