Norris Cole (basketball)
Encyclopedia
Norris Cole is a professional basketball player for the Miami Heat
.
, leading his basketball team to consecutive state championships in his junior and senior year. Lightly recruited out of high school, he was all set to go to Walsh University
on a football scholarship when Cleveland State
basketball coach Gary Waters decided to take a chance on him. He worked hard to steadily improve himself over the course of his college basketball career. This resulted in a stellar senior year, where he averaged 21.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 2.2 steals per game, highlighted by a 41 point, 20 rebound, 9 assist performance against Youngstown State.
In addition to setting a host of school records, Cole earned some significant honors. Amongst them are included being the first person in Horizon League Men's Basketball history to simultaneously be named Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, earning an AP All-America Honorable Mention, and making the National Association of Basketball Coaches District 12 First Team.
He was also a finalist for the Wooden Award and a final five finalist for the Bob Cousy Award
.
in the first round of the 2011 NBA Draft
as the 28th pick out of Cleveland State, but in a series of draft night deals, his rights were subsequently traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves
, who then dealt them to the Miami Heat
.
of his high school class and earned a bachelor's degree in health sciences from Cleveland State. He is the cousin of NFL's Philadelphia Eagles
defensive end
Trent Cole
.
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
.
High school and college career
Cole was a multi-sport star at Dunbar High School in Dayton, OhioDayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
, leading his basketball team to consecutive state championships in his junior and senior year. Lightly recruited out of high school, he was all set to go to Walsh University
Walsh University
Walsh University is a private non-profit, 4-year, Roman Catholic university in North Canton, Ohio, USA. It was founded in 1960 by the Brothers of Christian Instruction, initially as a liberal arts college. Walsh College became Walsh University in 1993. The University offers more than 50 majors,...
on a football scholarship when Cleveland State
Cleveland State University
Cleveland State University is a public university located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. It was established in 1964 when the state of Ohio assumed control of Fenn College, and it absorbed the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 1969...
basketball coach Gary Waters decided to take a chance on him. He worked hard to steadily improve himself over the course of his college basketball career. This resulted in a stellar senior year, where he averaged 21.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 2.2 steals per game, highlighted by a 41 point, 20 rebound, 9 assist performance against Youngstown State.
In addition to setting a host of school records, Cole earned some significant honors. Amongst them are included being the first person in Horizon League Men's Basketball history to simultaneously be named Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, earning an AP All-America Honorable Mention, and making the National Association of Basketball Coaches District 12 First Team.
He was also a finalist for the Wooden Award and a final five finalist for the Bob Cousy Award
Bob Cousy Award
The Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford is an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men's collegiate point guard. It is named after six-time National Basketball Association champion Bob Cousy, who played point guard for the Boston Celtics...
.
College statistics
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-2008 | Cleveland State Vikings | 34 | 14.4 | .380 | .238 | .817 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 4.9 |
| 2008-2009 | Cleveland State Vikings | 37 | 32.8 | .453 | .305 | .804 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 13.3 |
| 2009-2010 | Cleveland State Vikings | 33 | 34.2 | .432 | .342 | .799 | 2.8 | 4.4 | 1.8 | 0.1 | 16.3 |
| 2010-2011 | Cleveland State Vikings | 36 | 35.7 | .439 | .342 | .853 | 5.8 | 5.3 | 2.2 | 0.1 | 21.7 |
NBA career
Cole was drafted by the Chicago BullsChicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
in the first round of the 2011 NBA Draft
2011 NBA Draft
The 2011 NBA Draft was held on June 23, 2011 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball...
as the 28th pick out of Cleveland State, but in a series of draft night deals, his rights were subsequently traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Founded in 1989, the team is currently owned by Glen Taylor...
, who then dealt them to the Miami Heat
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
.
Personal
Cole was the salutatorianSalutatorian
Salutatorian is an academic title given, in the United States and Canada, to the second highest graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher. This honor is traditionally based on grade point average and number of credits taken, but...
of his high school class and earned a bachelor's degree in health sciences from Cleveland State. He is the cousin of NFL's Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
Trent Cole
Trent Cole
-2005:Cole was selected in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles with the draft pick acquired from the Washington Redskins for wide receiver James Thrash. He signed a 4-year contract before his rookie season....
.