By: Aquil Bayyan

Cole Directing Traffic in College

After watching Norris Cole light up the Boston Celtics last night I decided to post this Blog from statements I made on our show (Episode #71 at the 28:15 mark) last Thursday December 22, 2011 here.

(This is posted from the actual show statements)

I just wanted to take to the time to talk about one of the NBA Rookies this year out of Cleveland State. This young man averaged 22 pts, 6 rebs, 5 asts, and 2 stls during his senior year which included a 41 point, 20 rebound, and 9 assist performance. His name is, Norris Cole, and he has the rare combination of handles, passing ability, three point shooting, mid range shooting, and pure toughness that can lead to an NBA guard having a long career. After watching Cole give out work during the NBA preseason, in limited minutes, I became a believer. He averaged 10 points and 5 asts during the preseason, but I felt as if he may be the missing piece for the Miami Heat in those crucial situations when they need a bucket from someone other than the Big 3 (Wade, Lebron, and Bosh). Watching Cole on the floor, you could see that he was not in awe of the Big 3 and that he did not mind taking big shots. I envisioned Cole hitting crucial shots every now and then when the Heat’s offense breaks down. I also envisioned Cole being effective when teams institute a zone defense. We all remember how the Heat struggled with zone defenses in the 2011 NBA Finals. (Shout out to the Dallas Mavericks zone defense that slowed down the Miami Heat) What I found interesting about Norris Cole off the court, is that he was the salutatorian of his high school’s graduating class and he graduated from Cleveland State with a Bachelors degree in Health Sciences. He is also the cousin of Philadelphia Eagles DE, Trent Cole. So it seems that Norris Cole is a well rounded, highly educated, and down to earth athlete who does not shrink back in big moments. Well, it should be interesting to see how this young man’s NBA career unfolds, because at the end of the day, it has only been 2 NBA games.

Cole Going To The Basket

Aquil “Quil” Bayyan for War Room Sports