Akron STVM have one of the top defenses and rebounding teams in northeast Ohio, which conveniently happens to be Cotton’s best skills. The forward has gone from an energy guy as a junior to a primary scorer in the paint and leader of the Irish team as a senior. I’ve gotten to see Akron STVM at a few different events and Cotton’s emergence has been exciting to watch and he’s well deserving of a big jump in our rankings and scholarship interest.

In a slow-paced, low-scoring affair it was Cotton who really shined with his impressive length and athletic ability. The 6’5″-6’6″ unsigned senior forward was very effective around the basket finishing with 18 points to lead all scorers. Cotton’s ability to slash through the lane, run the floor in transition, and operate on short, straight line drives to the basket caught our attention in St. Vincent-St. Mary’s 46-42 win over Moeller.

One of the most improved players in Ohio’s 2026 class, Cotton has taken huge steps as a senior. Starting the game with a bang with a putback dunk, Cotton showed off his size, length and athleticism. A high motor big man, Cotton rebounds the ball at an elite level and goes into contact when trying to finish. Cotton also flashed a couple mid-range shots in the half-court to force the opponents to respect him from outside the paint. Cotton also had some clutch putback layups, including one to start overtime. Hoping to see Cotton continue to develop his left hand, it could make it easier for him to finish in the paint at the next level. Gritty effort by Akron STVM to win in front of a sold out crowd.

Cotton is an old school post player who was a threat to score the basketball in a variety of different ways throughout the game. I really liked his arsenal of moves inside he had no issues using at the appropriate times. He showed that he can stretch the floor as a shot-maker. Cotton is an active defender how had great timing by being in driving and passing lanes. He even showed some flashes as a passer.

The final prospect who made a leap up our rankings, Cotton is a big time athlete who is starting to expand his offensive skillset while continuing to play with a high motor, rebound and use his physical tools. It’s important when players start to show more ability with the ball in their hands that they continue to do what made me intrigued with them in the first place and Cotton has rebounded and protected the rim at a high level this fall. Akron STVM plays a monster schedule and Cotton will get to play against plenty of other forwards that will allow college coaches to see him against similar level talent as the players in their conference.

One of the bigger stock risers from the event, Cotton simply plays harder than almost everybody else on the court. Grabbing as many rebounds as anybody I saw all day, Cotton was crashing the glass with a purpose. With good length and explosive athleticism, Cotton has the skills to be an elite rebounder and follows through with that. Cotton has also taken strides as a ball handler, looking confident in tight spaces and getting to the rim off quick dribble moves. Cotton is still a work in progress as a scorer but the improvement he’s made from about a year ago is very impressive and he’ll be getting a rankings bump during our next update.