NEWSLETTER #35 - 2006-07 SURVIVOR COTTON INSPIRES TITANS Injuries guard suffered on and off the court have threatened his career, but he has overcome it all.

Terry Foster / The News

DETROIT -- Detroit Mercy assistant coach Bacari Alexander looked into the swollen eyes of Brandon Cotton and wanted to cry.

It wasn't the face that made Alexander cringe. It was the swollen left hand that doctors surgically repaired after a June 2005 automobile accident shredded tendons in Cotton's hand. A middle finger was sliced off and the rest of the fingers were smashed into noodles.

"Hey coach, do you think I will ever play again?" Cotton asked Alexander softly from his hospital bed.

Alexander's heart jumped. He did not know how to answer. He'd seen the X-rays and they didn't look good. Alexander did not have the heart to tell Cotton his career was done. So he lied and said everything would work out.

"I was looking at those X-rays, and there was no way that kid was going to play," Alexander said. "It looked similar to ground chuck sitting in a plastic bag at Farmer Jack. But there was no way I could tell that kid no.

"I was not telling only one little white lie, but I was telling a couple of white lies. There was no way I could tell that kid that, knowing that he and his family are weighing so much on athletics."

But teammate and good friend Muhammad Abdur-Rahim describes Cotton as a "different guy."

A determined Cotton worked on his dribbling as soon as doctors allowed. He surprised many and played last season, although in pain and with pins in the hand. Now he claims the hand is nearly healed after undergoing a third surgery in May to stretch tendons.

Cotton is not only an inspiration to teammates, but he is the Titans' best player. A 6-foot guard, Cotton averaged 17.5 points and 2.0 assists last season, slightly off the 18.8 points and 2.1 assists in his first season at UDM after transferring from Michigan State.

Xavier University - Men's Basketball - 3800 Victory Parkway - Cintas Center - Cincinnati, OH 45207 - (513) 745-3417 - (887) WE ARE XU NEWSLETTER #35 - 2006-07

SURVIVOR COTTON INSPIRES TITANS CONTINUED "The second I looked at my hand, I said my basketball career is over," Cotton said. "I was devastated and was in a state of shock. I went home and cried, thinking I'd never be the same player again."

But Cotton has perspective he did not have when he left Detroit De Porres to play at Michigan State. His goal was to play a couple years at State and then jump into the NBA.

But there was a foot injury (stress fracture to his right foot), the accident and the birth of his daughter. Life changed. He went from kid to adult and now had adult responsibilities.

He visits his daughter four or five times a week during the offseason and tries to find quality time with her in his busy schedule of classes, practice, training table and games. The accident taught him that his career can end at any moment. The foot injury taught him that life goes on without him, and being a father taught him life does not always center on him.

"My life has not been easy," Cotton said. "I've had to have faith in God and faith in myself that I could overcome. I stayed strong. If you are not strong in this world, you won't survive long. I had to fight and grind my way through things."

He recently received good news. The NCAA granted his request for a medical hardship waiver for the 2003- 04 season, when he played just three games at Michigan State because of a foot injury. The ruling gives Cotton an additional year of eligibility, meaning he has two more seasons at UDM.

This season his goal is to continue the legacy of Rashad Phillips, Jermaine Jackson and -- guys who put UDM back on the basketball map. Cotton, the first McDonald's prep All-American to attend the school, believes he is the type of player who can take the Titans to the next level.

"I am going to make UDM a powerhouse, sort of like George Mason, who made the Final Four last year," Cotton said. "We have a lot of talent, but we have to come together as a team. I think we can get back to that level, and I think we can compete with any team in the country."

No one doubts Cotton now. "He might have been in that victim mentality," UDM coach Perry Watson said. "Like, 'Why me? Why me?' I see a difference in him in that he has an appreciation for his talents."

Xavier University - Men's Basketball - 3800 Victory Parkway - Cintas Center - Cincinnati, OH 45207 - (513) 745-3417 - (887) WE ARE XU PLAY OF THE WEEK - ZONE OFFENSE # BREAK SET - DIVE

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Xavier University - Men's Basketball - 3800 Victory Parkway - Cintas Center - Cincinnati, OH 45207 - (513) 745-3417 - (887) WE ARE XU PLAY OF THE WEEK - UOB TRIANGLE SET - LOB vs ZONE 2 2 3 4 5 4 5

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Xavier University - Men's Basketball - 3800 Victory Parkway - Cintas Center - Cincinnati, OH 45207 - (513) 745-3417 - (887) WE ARE XU