49er players often drafted

By Aurora Mora, On-line Forty-Niner

July 9,1998

This decade, Long Beach State has produced four players that have been drafted by NBA teams.

Center Andrew Betts was drafted last month by the Charlotte Hornets in the second round of the NBA draft. Guard James Cotton was drafted by Denver in the second round of the draft. Guard Lucious Harris was drafted by Dallas, and forward/guard Bryon Russell was drafted by Utah.

Betts, a native of Ibstock, England, was a criminal justice major. He transferred to Cal State Long Beach from C.W. Post University in New York. At 7-foot-1 Betts is the tallest player in the history of Long Beach State. His contributions to the 49ers include 11 double-doubles this season and a career high of 36 points against North Texas on Jan. 17.

Cotton, a speech major and native of San Pedro, set several records while at Long Beach. He was named the Big West Conference Freshman of the Year. He led all Big West freshmen in scoring with 11.4 points per game. During the 1994-95 season, Cotton severely injured his left ankle and was forced to sit out the rest of the season.

He was the leading scorer in the Big West Conference and was named first team All-Big West during his sophomore season. He ranked seventh in the nation in scoring during his junior season. He scored a total of 1,452 points while at Long Beach.

Cotton was drafted after his junior year in 1997 by the Denver Nuggets. He was then traded to Seattle for the draft rights to Bobby Jackson. Cotton is presently a member of the Seattle Supersonics.

Harris, a business major, is from Los Angeles. His accomplishments as a collegiate player at Long Beach include being named the Big West Conference Player of the Year in 1990. He was the leading scorer for the 49ers his freshman, sophomore and junior years.