Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Week
Norris Cole
Senior, Guard
Dayton, Ohio
INDIANAPOLIS -- Cleveland State senior guard Norris Cole (Dayton, Ohio) has been named the Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Week, for the week beginning Nov. 29. The award is the second selection for Cole through four weeks this season.
Cole helped Cleveland State extend to its school-record start to 10-0 last week, leading the Vikings to victories over Robert Morris, Green Bay and Milwaukee, averaging 23.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 3.0 steals per game.
Against the defending Northeast Conference champion Colonials, Cole finished 10-for-18 from the floor, finishing with a season-best 29 points in the 58-53 defeat of Robert Morris. The Dayton Dunbar H.S.-product helped the Vikings pull away early, and closed the game by scoring CSU’s final 10 points, leading the defensive effort with five steals on the night.
Opening Horizon League play in Wisconsin, where Cleveland State had gone 1-19 in its last 20 contests, Cole overcame a 5-of-14 shooting night, going 15-for-16 from the charity stripe in pushing the Vikings past Green Bay, 83-75. Playing just 29 minutes due to foul trouble, the senior concluded the game with 26 points.
Looking to wrap up its first undefeated League road trip through Wisconsin since 1999-2000, Cole was a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor in Cleveland State’s 82-59 rout of Milwaukee on Saturday. In just 30 minutes, the 6-foot-2 guard handed out a season-high nine assists as the Vikings shot 63.8 percent for the game (30-for-47). Cole was a part of a record-setting effort from three-point land, hitting both of his attempts from long range as the Vikings tied a school-record with 14 three pointers in the game.
Cleveland State resumes the non-conference portion of its schedule this week, hosting West Virginia Tech on Tuesday, Dec. 7, for a 7 p.m. ET tip. The game will be carried live on HorizonLeague.com. The Vikings will venture to the Lone Star State on Saturday, Dec. 11, for a 4:30 ET contest versus Sam Houston State.
Top Performers for the Week:
Matt Howard, Butler (Sr., F) - Howard led the Bulldogs to a League road triumph at Loyola with 15 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a blocked shot. The senior chipped in 13 points in 24 minutes in Butler’s 82-70 loss to #1/1 Duke, moving into a tie with Bobby Plump for 11th on Butler’s all-time scoring list with 1,439 points.
Jason Calliste, Detroit (Sr., G) - The Scarborough, Ontario-native led the Titans to a 78-69 win over Wright State in the teams’ League opener on Saturday, knocking down 4-of-5 three-pointers on his way to a 20-point effort. Calliste added 12 points in a 77-69 defeat at the hands of Akron on Wednesday night.
Rahmon Fletcher, Green Bay (Sr., G) - With five steals on the week, Fletcher moved into third place on Green Bay’s all-time steals list. Fletcher added 28 points in two games, including a 19-point effort on Saturday as the Phoenix moved past Youngstown State, 74-59, on Saturday to move to 1-1 in Horizon League play.
Andy Polka, Loyola (Sr., F) - Making his first two starts of the season, Polka nearly averaged a double-double, finishing the week with 11.0 ppg and 8.0 rpg after two games. With 833 rebounds, needs just eight more to move into a tie with Art McZier (841) for 9th on Loyola’s career chart.
Anthony Hill, Milwaukee (Sr., F) - Hill had one of the Horizon League’s most dominating games this season, finishing Thursday night’s 76-67 victory over Youngstown State with 30 points and 12 rebounds. The output was the first in Panthers’ history since 1994 and just the 11th 30-point, 10-rebound game in Division I this year. For the week, Hill averaged 19.0 ppg and 7.5 rpg.
Cory Johnson, Valparaiso (RS-Sr., F) - Helping Valparaiso open League play 2-0, Johnson scored 15 points in the Crusaders’ 68-66 overtime decision at UIC and finished with 14 points and a game-high eight boards in a 66-56 outcome at Loyola. For the second time in four years as a League member, Valparaiso swept the opening weekend of conference play on the road.
Vaughn Duggins, Wright State (Sr., G) - While Wright State dropped two close road contests at Cincinnati and Detroit, Duggins paced the Raiders in both matchups, scoring 18 points against the Bearcats in the 77-69 loss and posting 23 in Saturday’s nine-point decision to the Titans. Duggins concluded the week 16-for-30 from the floor.
Damian Eargle, Youngstown State (So., F) - In two road defeats, Eargle was a force down low for Youngstown State, averaging 11.5 points, 4.5 boards and 4.5 blocks. In each of his last four games, Eargle has at least four blocks, and of the Penguins' 40 blocks this season, the Youngstown, Ohio-native owns 26, pacing the Horizon League with 3.7 per game.
Tags: Cleveland State - Men's Basketball
