When Erica Cotton steps onto the basketball court, it's easy to see that she wears her emotions on her sleeve.
Cotton, a guard on the Ball State University women's basketball team, isn't afraid to show her passion for the game. After nailing a 3-pointer or a long two, she usually pumps her fist in the air or claps her hands. If a call happens to go against her, Cotton lets her frustration out by slapping the floor with her hand or by letting a look of disgust cross her face.
The emotions Cotton displays while playing basketball are opposite of her behavior away from the court. When she steps onto the hardwood, a different personality emerges from the normally reserved guard from Detroit.
"She has always been quiet and laid-back," Erica's mother Stephanie said. "She is a good listener. She's never been a big talker, but when she does talk, you listen."
Friend and teammate Kelsey Corbin said Cotton has somewhat of a split personality, but isn't as quiet off the court as everybody might think.
"Cotton off the court is real laid-back," Corbin said. "It's funny because a lot of people think that she is really, really quiet. The few of us that she gets around, she just sits around and laughs at all of us."
Cotton admits that she is quiet and doesn't talk much unless she has something important to say. But when watching her play basketball, one wouldn't think Cotton would be quiet at all. Her spirited play on the court comes from her confidence in her game and the adversity she has overcome.
BATTLING INJURIES
A senior academically but a junior eligibility-wise, Cotton sat out her sophomore year recovering from two surgeries due to a stress fracture in her left foot. She said an incorrect screw was placed in her foot during the first surgery, requiring a second procedure to fix the mistake.
Cotton said she developed the stress fracture during the preseason before her sophomore year. She was disappointed when she found out that the surgery was required after going through the grueling preseason.
"That's the hardest part," Cotton said. "You work your butt off for about two months, waking up puking every other morning, and then you find out you can't play."
After having two surgeries on her foot, Cotton suffered another injury. While guarding Kate Endress in practice before a game against Buffalo last season, Cotton deflected a pass and popped her shoulder out of place. She played through the injury by wearing a brace on her left shoulder for the rest of the season, and had surgery in May to repair her acromioclavicular (AC) joint.
SCORING EMERGENCE
Cotton entered this season averaging 2.4 points per game. She got off to a slow start, averaging 3.3 points per game in non-conference games, but has emerged as a scoring threat during MAC play. She scored a career-high 19 points against Akron and is fourth on the team with a 9.1 points-per-game conference average.
Cotton said her scoring emergence is a result of focus and being healthy.
"I think it's just confidence and I'm comfortable out there," she said. "I'm not playing through injury or anything like that. So it's not as mentally tough. I can just play now; I don't have to worry about anything else."
Cotton has struggled as of late, averaging 2.8 points in the last five games. She was held scoreless against Eastern Michigan Saturday on 0-of-5 shooting.
Despite her recent shooting slump, Cotton is second on the team in 3-pointers made (18) and has the best 3-point accuracy (36.7 percent).
As Cotton began to emerge offensively at the start of the MAC season, her antics and emotions became more evident.
"At a point where I was after coming back battling injuries, I get overemotional sometimes because I'm actually out there," Cotton said. "Sometimes I don't know what else to do other than be emotional."
Athletic trainer Casey Chambers said she finds Cotton's animated style of play funny to watch.
"She just cracks me up because she is normally so reserved," Chambers said. "She just really shows herself a lot more on the court."
Cotton's reactions on the court aren't always in the positive form of clapping and fist pumps. When she is whistled at for a foul or a call doesn't go her way, she is known to slap the floor or to make a disgusted face.
"Sometimes it might look like I get frustrated, but I let things go pretty quick," Cotton said. "I'll have an outburst or I might slap the floor, but just I need five seconds to get it out and I'm usually fine."
CAREER ACHIEVEMENTS
Cotton averaged 15.6 points-per-game during her senior season at Benedictine High School. Ball State coach Tracy Roller said she always knew Cotton had the capability to be a scoring threat for the Cards.
"I just think she is a kid that would have helped us earlier if she would have been more healthy," Roller said. "You see glimpses of things as [players] are developing and getting healthy at practice that you know they have the chance to do something special."
Cotton, a sports management major, said she is searching for an internship this summer and has two classes left to finish. She said she plans to come back for her senior year of basketball.
By overcoming her injuries and staying focused, Cotton has grown as a player and as a person. She said she has learned how to overcome adversity on and off the basketball court.
"I've learned that it's not necessarily what you go through in life; it's how you deal with it," Cotton said. "Going through a lot of adversity the past two years, not only on the court as far as injures, but off the court, has kind of made me a better person."
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