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Utah Jazz set to face Aussie squads during 2018 preseason

By Ryan Aston

PERTH, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 09: NBL CEO Jeremy Loeliger presents Bryce Cotton of the Wildcats his MVP award during game two of the NBL Semi Final series between the Adelaide 36ers and the Perth Wildcats at Perth Arena on March 9, 2018 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
PERTH, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 09: NBL CEO Jeremy Loeliger presents Bryce Cotton of the Wildcats his MVP award during game two of the NBL Semi Final series between the Adelaide 36ers and the Perth Wildcats at Perth Arena on March 9, 2018 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images) /
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Bryce Cotton and the NBL’s Perth Wildcats will join the Adelaide 36ers in traveling to Salt Lake City for exhibition games this October.

Last fall, the Utah Jazz were one of three NBA teams to help make international hoops history. For the first time ever, three teams from the Australian NBL traveled to the US to take on NBA squads during the 2017 preseason. The Jazz participated by playing host to the Sydney Kings at Vivint Smart Home Arena.

As the old saying goes: one good turn deserves another. Per announcements from both leagues, Aussie teams will be making the trip for a second time next preseason. This time around, though, the Jazz band will go toe-to-toe with two Aussie teams, both of which feature some familiar faces.

The eight-time NBL-champion Perth Wildcats will be first up; they’ll face the Jazz on September 29 at the Viv. Leading them into battle will be former Jazzman and reigning NBL MVP Bryce Cotton.

Cotton, who played for the Jazz during the 2014-15 season, averaged 19.8 points, 3.1 assists and 3.0 rebounds per contest for the Wildcats last year. During the 2017 Grand Final, he dropped 45 points in a close-out game against the Illawarra Hawks to help Perth capture the title.

Of course, he’s fondly remembered by the Jazz faithful for throwing down one of the sickest dunks in team history —

Full disclosure: I’ve been dying for a reason to revisit that video on The J-Notes.

After their bout with the Wildcats, the Jazz will welcome in the Adelaide 36ers on October 5.

More from The J-Notes

36ers head coach Joey Wright has some history with the Jazz. He sat behind the bench as part of Utah’s coaching staff during the 2017 summer league. Wright is a three-time NBL Coach of the Year and captured a league championship with the Brisbane Bullets in ’07.

Joining him will be Nathan Sobey, a 6-foot-4 guard who participated in the Jazz’s free agent mini-camp last June, after which he too was part of the team’s summer league outfit. Our own Jared Woodcox interviewed Sobey ahead of summer play.

The full NBL x NBA 2018 tour schedule is as follows —

September 28: Melbourne United vs Philadelphia 76ers, Wells Fargo Center
September 29: Perth Wildcats vs Utah Jazz, Vivint Smart Home Arena
September 30: Sydney Kings vs LA Clippers, Stan Sheriff Center, Honolulu
October 3: New Zealand Breakers vs Phoenix Suns, Talking Stick Resort Arena
October 5: Perth Wildcats vs Denver Nuggets, Pepsi Center
Melbourne United vs Toronto Raptors, Scotiabank Arena
Adelaide 36ers vs Utah Jazz, Vivint Smart Home Arena

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