Cota played his freshman and sophomore years at Brooklyn, New York's Samuel J. Tilden High School.

As a sophomore, he averaged 31.5 points, 11 assists and six steals per game and led his team to the semifinals of the New York Public School Athletic League.

[1] Cota underwent a devastating family tragedy in the ninth grade when his parents were in a car accident in Panama that would hospitalize them for several years.

[1] Cota is probably best known to basketball fans for his play at point guard for the University of North Carolina (UNC) from 1996 to 2000.

During the 1997–1998 season, Cota was a member of new coach Bill Guthridge's successful "Six Starters" rotation with Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter, Shammond Williams, Ademola Okulaja, and Makhtar N'Diaye.

Cota joined Žalgiris Kaunas, a Lithuanian team, for the 2002–2003 and 2003–2004 seasons, during which he consecutively led the Euroleague in assists.

Over the years, he has played on the NBA Summer League squads of the Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers, and Washington Wizards.

In January 2008 he joined Atlas Stal Ostrów Wielkopolski playing in Polish Dominet Bank Ekstraliga.