Cleveland State's Norris Cole named Men's Basketball Player of the Week

Feb. 16, 2009

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INDIANAPOLIS --- Cleveland State University sophomore guard Norris Cole has been named Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Week for the week ending Feb. 15.

A native of Dayton, Ohio, Cole averaged 17.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists as Cleveland State extended its winning streak to six games with a pair of victories last week. He matched his career high with 21 points in the Vikings' 83-75 victory Saturday over the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, including 16 in the second half when the Phoenix mounted a comeback. On Thursday, he had 14 points and five rebounds in a 70-61 win over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

For the week, Cole shot 52 percent from the field (12-of-23), including 83 percent (5-of-6) from three-point range, and was 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. He also added 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest.

Cleveland State (19-8, 10-5 Horizon League) enters the week tied for third place in the Horizon League with Wright State University, one game behind second-place Green Bay for the all-important double-bye to the League tournament semifinals and three games behind League-leading Butler University. One more victory would give the Vikings back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 1985-88.

Cleveland State will play its final regular-season home game this Wednesday against Youngstown State University and then step out of League play at Wichita State University on Saturday.

Comprised of 10 public and private institutions of higher learning, the Horizon League is an NCAA Division I athletics conference that sponsors 19 intercollegiate championships and is headquartered in Indianapolis. The League and its member institutions aspire to teach young people, through athletic competition, the value of learning, service to others and personal responsibility.

Horizon League teams have enjoyed national success in a variety of sports in recent years, most notably in men's basketball, in which its teams have advanced to the Regional semi-finals of the NCAA Championship three times in the past six seasons.