NICKNAME/S: Norto

BIO: Born and raised in Townsville, Queensland, Norton attended Pimlico State High School and played as a junior for the Townsville basketball program.

As a junior he grew up a die-hard Townsville Crocodiles fan. A testament to his love for the team goes back as far as primary school where during the 2001/02 season the Crocodiles committed to not shave their beards all season until they reach the Grand Final. A young Norton, then around 10 years old and unable to grow a beard, decided to refrain from cutting his hair in a show of fan support. After awhile going his hair had grown so long that it prompted his primary school principal to speak to his parents who was concerned his ‘wayward’ appearance may be a result of issues at home only to be told by his parents that things were fine and it was merely him supporting his favourite basketball team.

As a teenage Norton represented Queensland North at Under 16 and Under 18 Australian Basketball Championships between 2007 and 2009. Norton received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 2011. He spent one year there and played for the program’s state league team.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Mitchell Norton made his NBL debut with the Townsville Crocodiles at 18 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

After losing in the semifinals for three straight years under coach Trevor Gleeson, the Crocodiles chose to move in a different direction, replacing him with US coach Paul Woolpert. Townsville also chose to move on from imports Will Blalock and Rosell Ellis, replacing them with former NBA guard Eddie Gill and Elvin Mims. The team retained the majority of their local roster from the previous season, the only major change being Jacob Holmes (via Adelaide) and Townsville junior Mitchell Norton replacing Nathan Crosswell (to Adelaide) and the retiring Brad Williamson.

Just prior to the season kicking off, Russell Hinder would suffer a broken leg that would see his sidelined for the entire NBL season. Greg Vanderjagt, who was unable to make a NBL roster the season before, signed on as a late replacement.

Peter Crawford (14.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists) and import Eddie Gill (13.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists) led the way statistically, but a breakout season from Todd Blanchfield (7.2 points and 3.3 rebounds), which took him from the end of the bench to being a member of the starting unit, gave the Crocodiles a completely different look. Blanchfield saw his minutes double from 9.7 to 21.3 per game and his ability to space the floor (shooting 47% from the field) made it far easier for frontcourt players Jacob Holmes (10.4 points, 9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists), Luke Schenscher (10.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists) and Mims (9.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.3 steals) to score in the paint.

Townsville floated between third and fifth spot all season but a late season slump, where they lost the final two games of the season, dropped them to equal fourth place, equal to record to the Cairns Taipans (15-13). With Townsville and Cairns also having a 2-2 record in their head to head matchups, Townsville’s higher points percentage gave them the final playoff spot and dropped Cairns into fifth place.

Under the guidance of head coach Shawn Dennis, Townsville faced off against first seed New Zealand in the semifinals, comfortably winning game one (99-82) on the Breakers home court. Despite the Crocodiles strong form in game one, the Breakers evened the series in game two (83–94) at Townsville, before closing out the series in 17-point win in game three (97–80). New Zealand would go on to defeat Perth in the Grand Final series.

Norton would see minimal playing opportunities as a rookie, appearing in only five games, averaging 2.2 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.2 assists.

2012/13
In 2012/13, Norton averaged 4.1 points, 1 rebounds, and 0.9 assists, playing a slightly bigger role in the Crocodiles rotation and helping the team finish in seventh place (10-18).

2013/14
Prior to the 2013/14 season, Barrier Reef Basketball relinquished its ownership of Townsville’s NBL license, putting the Crocodile’s’ 2013/14 season in doubt. the Crocodiles would, however, manage to stay afloat with the team moving from a owner-operated model to a community-owned club. This resulted in head coach Paul Woolpert not being retained, and Perth Wildcats assistant Shawn Dennis signed as his replacement.

Dennis made the decision to focus on giving opportunities to the team’s younger talent, namely Todd Blanchfield and Mitchell Norton, whom he hoped to build a roster around over the next two or three seasons.

Veterans Peter Crawford, Jacob Holmes and team captain Russell Hinder all returned, and in a major signing for the club, added Steven Markovic, a Australian Boomers squad member who had spent the previous few seasons playing in Europe. Lastly, imports Joshua Pace and Brian Conklin were brought in to round out the roster.

Townsville had found quite a talent in Conklin, who scored 33 points in his second game, a win over the New Zealand Breakers (91–78). It was the second-highest score by a Crocs player since 40-minute games were introduced into the NBL in 2010. Despite being unanimously selected to finish in last place, Townsville recorded upset wins over top team’s Melbourne (90-75) and Adelaide (98-94) to start the season, defeated New Zealand twice and by round 10 they sat just outside the playoffs in fifth spot.

With Pace (14.9 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists) and Markovic (13.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 4.6 assists) both failing to deliver what Townsville had expected and with the team’s inexperienced beginning to show, the team lost their next eight games in a row.

Despite the losses, Conklin (16.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists) was a revelation for the club, using his strength and speed to overcome any height disadvantage and finishing in the top seven scorers in the league. His impact was clearly felt after the team lost him to a hamstring injury against the Melbourne Tigers, which kept him out of the team’s last four games of the season.

Townsville finished second last on the ladder with a record of 10-18, while Conklin’s efforts were rewarded with him being named part of the All-NBL Second Team.

Norton would make 27 appearances and averaged 6.9 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game.

2014/15
2014/15
Townsville were able to secure the services of star import Brian Conklin for another season, and together with the development of young players like Todd Blanchfield and Mitchell Norton looked to improve in Shawn Dennis’ second year as coach. Veterans Peter Crawford (Adelaide) and Russell Hinder (Retired) were not re-signed, and underperforming import Joshua Pace was replaced with former NBA shot blocker Mickell Gladness.

Dennis replaced the outgoing Crawford and Hinder with Mackay product Clint Steindl and New Zealand born Leon Henry.

While Townsville became quite a force at home, they were never able to win consistently on the road. Townsville’s home success saw the team finish with a winning home record (8-6) for the first time since 2012, but due to finishing with only three wins on the road all season (11-17 record).

High spots for the season included Blanchfield (14.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists ) receiving high-profile recognition across the league and even appearing on a number of NBA radars after winning the NBL’s Most Improved Player and earning a spot on the All-NBL Second Team. Conklin (18.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) delivered a even better second season with the Crocodile’s. He shot 50.7 percent shooting from the field and finished fourth in the league in scoring, including a 33 point and 11 rebound effort in a 79–75 loss to the Cairns Taipans. Conklin finished the season being named the NBL’s Most Valuable Player as well as earning a spot on the All-NBL First Team.

Norton appeared in 28 games during the season to average 7.9 points, 2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists.

2015/16
Front office changes and financial limitations saw the Crocodiles struggling to gain clarity on their future in the competition, resulting in player recruitment becoming extremely challenging for Townsville. The first impact of this saw Todd Blanchfield, who earned the NBL Most Improved Player the season prior, relocate to Melbourne and sign with the re-branded Melbourne United. Coach Shawn Dennis would sign Nicholas Kay, who was returning home after four years at Metro State College of Denver and then rounded out the rest of the roster by signing players happy to play for near league minimum contracts, mostly young talent unable to latch on with other team’s or veteran players other team’s had given up on. Luke Schenscher (via Adelaide), Corey Maynard and Mitchell Young (both via Cairns) were clear examples of that.

NBL MVP Brian Conklin was re-signed and appointed team captain and paired with incoming import Jordair Jett.

The season began with two consecutive losses to Melbourne United (84-99) at home and New Zealand (81-89) in New Zealand. But then, in surprising fashion, Townsville, who had won a total of three away games the previous season, defeated Sydney (80-77) and Perth (66-63) on their home floor in back-to-back rounds.

Townsville’s season quickly turned sour after that, highlighted by their 31-point defeat at the hands of Melbourne in late October and having the worst record in the league (2-9) after the first few months of the season. Then, when the team faced the Perth Wildcats at home, Conklin was involved in a ugly on-court incident involving Perth Wildcats guard Damian Martin Martin. During the fourth quarter of the Crocodiles win over the Wildcat’s (89–77), Conklin’s errant elbow collided with and broke Martin’s jaw. Despite a call from Australian basketball legend Andrew Gaze for Conklin to be suspended for at least six weeks, the NBL cleared Conklin of any wrongdoing. A similar situation arose during a brutal loss to Adelaide (65-89) less than two weeks after the Martin encounter, where Conklin (21 points and 12 rebounds) was in the spotlight again for another elbow incident, this time for striking 36ers forward Mitch Creek in a similar manner. He subsequently received a three-match suspension, with two of those games suspended for the rest of the season.

By the end of November, sitting at the bottom of the ladder (4–10), Townsville terminated Conklin’s contract due to what the club claimed was a number of ‘sub-par performances’. Conklin (13.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game) later took to social media to share his version of the truth, which pointed the finger at Townsville wanting to reduce costs as the reason for his release. The Crocs would bring in a former college teammate of Patty Mills, Omar Samhan (13 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.1 blocks), as Conklin’s replacement a week later.

Schenscher (4.1 points and 3.1 rebounds) also struggled with injuries and with nine games remaining, Townsville chose to add Harry Froling (1.6 points and 0.8 rebounds), a member of Townsville’s junior program, as an injury replacement player for him.

While Jett (15.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.1 steals) struggled in the team’s early games, he would explode during the second half of the season, leading the team in scoring with Mirko Djeric (5.3 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.9 assists) delivering his best season to date. With Townsville now firmly focused as a team, their work was rewarded in the second half of the season, winning half of their remaining games (7-7). This included a upset victory over Adelaide will go down in Townsville history as perhaps the most exciting finish to a game. The win showcased the fighting qualities instilled in the Crocs and even in the most unlikely circumstances, a team must play to the final buzzer.

Despite again finishing with a winning record at home (8-6) but only three road wins for the season, Townsville would finish second last on the ladder (11-17) with Jett being awarded the Kevin Sugars Medal (club MVP). Norton would appear in all 28 games, averaging 8.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists.

Despite the hardships Townsville was viewed as overachievers for the most part and coach Shawn Dennis was rewarded by the league with the NBL’s coach of the year trophy. The Croc’s cleaned up on awards night with Nicholas Kay (10.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists) also winning Rookie of the Year and Clint Steindl (12.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists) earning Most Improved Player.

Although Townsville had a verbal commitment from the league they would be able to continue playing with their support, the inability to raise enough money from the community saw their eventual demise. Kay and Norton both signed deals with Illawarra and while Young found a spot with Brisbane. Unable to find deals in Australia, Steindl and Djeric both ventured overseas, Luke Schenscher retired and coach Shawn Dennis would end up coaching in the Japanese national league.

ILLAWARRA HAWKS
2016/17
The Hawks would face a tough off-season in 2017, first losing Kevin Lisch to NSW rival Sydney who offered a very large contract to Kevin Lisch far above what the Hawks could afford. Then losing veteran Kirk Penney who would return to play for the New Zealand Breakers.

With the demise of the Townsville Crocodiles following the 2015/16 season, Norton and teammate Nick Kay immediately became free agents, both heavily sought after by a number of rival NBL clubs.

Despite receiving a number of higher financial offers, the prospect of playing under head coach Rob Beveridge resulted in both signing two-year deals to play with the Hawks.

Beveridge would replace Lisch with returning Hawk and former NBL MVP Rotnei Clarke, pair him with Marvelle Harris as the team’s second import and was able to retain his core group of Oscar Forman, Tim Coenraad, Rhys Martin and Kevin White.

With all the new faces, the Hawks struggled to start the season and after first four rounds they sat at the bottom of the ladder.

Behind a strong finish to the season from the high-scoring Clarke (17 points per game) the Hawks squeezed into the top four by one game and Norton finished the regular season averaging 8.2 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists.

The Hawks faced the Adelaide in the semifinals, the 36ers had finished the season on top of the NBL Ladder and took game one easily, 93-78, behind Jerome Randle’s 26 points and 4 assists. In a major upset, the Hawks would go on to win games two (100–94) and three (106-98) ending the 36ers season in premature fashion. Rotnei Clark led the team in scoring with 20 points in the deciding game.

There they would face off against Beveridge’s former team, the Perth Wildcats, who would sweep the Hawks in three straight games and win their eighth NBL Championship.

Rotnei Clarke, the Hawks leading scorer, struggled against the Wildcats, with defensive player of the year Damian Martin limiting him to just eight shots in game one. On the other hand, Perth’s leading scorer Bryce Cotton couldn’t be stopped, etching his name in the record books after exploding for 45 points in game three and taking home the NBL Finals MVP award.

2017/18
Norton would average 7.8 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists with the Hawks who narrowly missed out on making the playoffs. Illawarra finishing fifth (12-16).

PERTH WILDCATS
2018/19
During the off-season, Perth managed to re-sign star Bryce Cotton (three-year deal), while also adding Nick Kay and Mitch Norton (both via Illawarra), two-time champion Tom Jervis (via Brisbane), and new import Terrico White (via Korea). These signings led to the exits of Lucas Walker, Jarrod Kenny, and Dexter Kernich-Drew, who all signed with Cairns. Perth’s final roster move was elevating four-year development player Rhys Vague to the full-time roster.

The team traveled to the United States for two pre-season games against NBA teams Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets. They suffered a heavy (130–72) loss to the Jazz in their first match, which coach Trevor Gleeson cited as the catalyst for the season’s success. In their second game, they narrowly lost (96–88) to the Denver Nuggets, gaining valuable experience that set the tone for the season.

Perth started the season strongly, boasting a (10–1) record. However, the team’s momentum was disrupted when captain Damian Martin (5.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.6 steals) suffered a right calf tear, sidelining him for six games. Compounding the issue, Angus Brandt (8.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) missed three games in November due to an ankle injury sustained while playing for the Australian Boomers. These setbacks led to a downturn in form, and by mid-January, the Wildcats had lost eight of their next ten games, bringing their record to (12–9).

Despite external pressure to make roster changes and add a third import, the organization and coaching staff chose to back the existing playing group. As the roster regained its health, Perth bounced back with three consecutive wins over Melbourne, Adelaide, and Sydney, ultimately reclaiming the top spot on the ladder and finishing the regular season in first place with an (18–10) record.

Perth were led by Bryce Cotton (21.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.4 steals), who was both the league’s MVP and leading scorer, and Nick Kay (14.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.2 steals), who delivered the best season of his career. Both players earned a selection to the All-NBL First Team. Despite battling injuries in the first half, Terrico White (17.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.1 steals) emerged as a key contributor by season’s end.

8.3 2.0 2.6

Mitch Norton (8.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists) played a critical role as a defensive anchor for the Wildcats, providing reliable ball-handling and leadership on the floor. Norton’s signing with Perth was partly influenced by the opportunity to play alongside Damian Martin, one of the league’s best defensive players. His standout performances included 16 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals against Sydney Kings on 19 October 2018, 14 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal against Illawarra Hawks on 15 December 2018, and 13 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals against Brisbane Bullets on 23 December 2018.

One of the notable aspects of Norton’s season was his return from a calf injury just in time for the playoffs. Despite the injury, he played a crucial role off the bench, adding depth to the Wildcats’ roster and contributing in every game during the Grand Final series.

Perth went on to face Brisbane in the semi-finals, where Bryce Cotton (19 points, 2 rebounds, and 10 assists) and Terrico White (24 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist) led the team to a Game 1 win (89–59), and Mitch Norton (8 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal) contributed solid defense and playmaking off the bench. Cameron Gliddon (18 points and 4 rebounds) finished as Brisbane’s top scorer. In Game 2 (84–79), Terrico White (24 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal) led Perth in scoring, Bryce Cotton (19 points, 10 assists, and 1 steal) recorded his first career double-double, and Norton (7 points, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds) also made a solid contribution. Despite strong efforts from Lamar Patterson (19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals) and Matthew Hodgson (15 points and 2 blocks), Brisbane couldn’t stop Perth from advancing to the Grand Final to face Melbourne.

Once into the Grand Final series, Perth faced reigning champions Melbourne United. In Game 1 of the Grand Final series (81-71), Perth secured a hard-fought victory despite Bryce Cotton (10 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists) being shut down offensively by Melbourne’s defense. The Wildcats’ win was powered by performances from Terrico White (19 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Mitch Norton (10 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds), who provided key defense and ball distribution in the win. Melbourne’s offense was led by Casper Ware (19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal) and Chris Goulding (15 points and 2 assists).

Game 2 of the Grand Final series (92-74) saw Melbourne bounce back with a balanced offensive effort led by Casper Ware (14 points, 2 assists, and 1 steal), Chris Goulding (14 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal), DJ Kennedy (12 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals), and David Barlow (11 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 block), allowing United to even the series. Despite Norton’s (9 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals) best efforts, and strong performances from Bryce Cotton (19 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal) and Terrico White (17 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal), Perth couldn’t keep pace as United proved too strong on the night.

The loss prompted coach Trevor Gleeson to make several adjustments, which led to Perth dominating Game 3 (95-67). Terrico White (31 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals) and Bryce Cotton (27 points, 4 rebounds, and 10 assists) were unstoppable, combining for 58 points and nearly outscoring Melbourne by themselves, while Norton (8 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds) provided crucial defense and playmaking throughout the game. For Melbourne, DJ Kennedy (13 points and 10 rebounds) and David Barlow (13 points and 5 rebounds) were the only bright spots.

In the deciding Game 4 (97-84), Perth clinched the title with another strong showing from Bryce Cotton (28 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals) and Terrico White (20 points and 8 rebounds), with Norton (11 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds) providing a strong defensive and playmaking presence to help secure the victory. Despite the best efforts from Casper Ware (18 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Chris Goulding (15 points and 4 assists), Melbourne fell well short.

Terrico White, who had faced criticism earlier in the season, was named Grand Final MVP after averaging 21.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists over the four-game series.

2019/20
The Wildcats’ first move of the 2019 off-season was re-signing four-time championship-winning coach Trevor Gleeson (three-year deal) as well as five-time championship-winning duo Damian Martin and Jesse Wagstaff and import Terrico White. In total, six members of the championship-winning squad would return, with Wani Swaka Lo Buluk being elevated from development player to the full roster and replace the retiring Greg Hire. The team also added Dario Hunt and Majok Majok to replace exiting big men Tom Jervis and Angus Brandt (to Europe).

Perth started the season in dominant fashion (5–1), but by round 10, had taken a step backwards (8-5) following back-to-back losses. The Wildcats regrouped behind four straight wins and closed out December with a 13–6 record. In December, Damian Martin played his 300th game for the Wildcats, then suffered a left heel injury, which saw him miss the entire month of January. After losing back-to-back games to start 2020, Gleeson and the Wildcat’s decided to release Dario Hunt (8.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) and replace him with seven-year NBA veteran Miles Plumlee (9.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks).

The addition of Plumlee gave Perth the inside presence they needed, showcased in a Perth win over New Zealand (80–79), when he recorded 23 points and 18 rebounds, becoming the first Wildcat to record 20+ points and 15+ rebounds in a game since 2007.

With seven games remaining and Plumlee required to play all seven to qualify for the postseason, the Wildcat’s won six of seven games to secure a 34th consecutive finals appearance with a second-place finish (19–9). Fresh off his World Cup experience playing for the Australian Boomers, Nick Kay (15 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.1 steals) delivered a breakout season alongside Bryce Cotton (22.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists) who etched himself into the history books, becoming the first import to lead the league in scoring three years in a row.

in the semifinals, Perth defeated Cairns (2–1) to advance to their 15th NBL Grand Final where thanks to a big games from Cotton (32 points) and Kay (14 points and 6 rebounds) they claimed game one (88–86) in front of 11,647 rabid Kings fans.

As the team’s prepared for game two in Perth, it was decided that the remaining games would all take place with no fans in the building. Without a single fan in the building, the Kings evened the series (1-1) thanks to Jae’Sean Tate (21 points) nailing seven of his nine shots and Andrew Bogut (24 points and 14 rebounds) having one of his best games of the season.

In game three of the grand final series against the Sydney Kings, Kay (30 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists) delivered a career high scoring effort, including seven three-pointers alongside Cotton (31 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists) to propel Perth to a game three victory (111–96).

Prior to game four, the Sydney Kings chose to withdraw from the series due to uncertainties of the coronavirus and travel restrictions. With multiple Kings players based overseas, many were concerned the restrictions would prevent any return home. After a week spent deliberating, it was decided Perth would be awarded the championship due to holding a 2-1 lead at the time, securing their tenth title. After averaging 30.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.7 assists over the three games, Cotton was named Grand Final MVP for the second time in four years, becoming the first player in Wildcats history to be named league MVP, Grand Final MVP and win a championship all in the same season.

Norton see his role increase with the Wildcats this season, particularly during the playoffs where it was revealed starting point guard Martin played through the year with a Achilles injury that required a postseason reconstruction. Norton appeared in 28 games, averaging 6.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists.

2020/21
After winning the previous season’s Grand Final after Sydney withdrew from the remaining two games due to COVID-19 health concerns, Perth struggled during the early stages of NBL21 as the league fought through a number of Covid obstacles. After losing Terrico White and Nick Kay to overseas offers, they chose to sign John Mooney to fill the enormous gap left in the team’s frontcourt. However, when the NBL chose to reduce the number of import roster spots from three to two, Perth was also unable to re-sign import Miles Plumlee. After multiple delays to the start of the season, the competition began but without a permanent schedule, resulting in team’s finding out each week who and where they would play depending on Covid travel limitations.

Perth struggled to find wins during this time, and after five rounds, they sat in seventh place, which is when the league made the decision to move all teams to Melbourne, where it would play eight games as part of the NBL Cup, a attempt to continue the season while escaping Covid related travel restrictions.

It was there Bryce Cotton (23.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.5 steals) would boost his production, a move which in turn, allowed new signing Todd Blanchfield (via Illawarra) to benefit from the space provided from Cotton’s brilliance and deliver a career-best season. Blanchfield (15.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists) would set a Wildcat record for most three-pointers made in a season and paired nicely with Mooney (16.9 points, 11.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.3 steals) to form a powerful trio that soon led Perth back to the top of the ladder.

As the season entered its final round it seemed the Wildcats would be hoisting a third straight championship trophy. Fate would intervene, however, with Cotton suffering a season-ending injury during a loss to Melbourne (64–78) in their last game of the season. Cotton would go on to be selected as the league’s Most Valuable Player but was unable to suit up during in Perth’s playoff run.

After Melbourne knocked Perth out of the top spot on the ladder in round 13, a strong finish to the season saw United finish in first place (28-8), while Perth (25-11) claimed second position. After losing the opening game to Illawarra (72–74), Perth received a boost from Luke Travers (13 points and 10 rebounds), who, alongside John Mooney (18 points and 10 rebounds) led the Wildcats to a game two victory (79-71). In game three, Blanchfield (24 points and 5 rebounds) and Norton (15 points and 4 rebounds) would step up in Cotton’s absence in game three and lift the undermanned squad over the Illawarra Hawks (79-71) in what was a wild semi-final series.

The Wildcats would then face off against a red-hot Melbourne United, who finished the regular season in first place and had been equally impressive all year.

Both games, one and two, were forced to be played in Perth due to travel restrictions. Despite a hot game from Blanchfield (27 points and 7 rebounds), United survived game one, winning by three points (70–73). Game two followed a similar story as Chris Goulding (21 points) and Jock Landale (12 points and 17 rebounds) proved too good for the limping Wildcats, falling short in game two also (74-83).

With Norton (8.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists) battling through injury to end the season, the team’s backcourt became even weaker. Despite Kevin White’s best efforts, stepping up to deliver the best three-game performance of his career (10 points in game one, 12 points in game two and 14 points in game three), Perth were never in the series. With restrictions lifted, game three was held on Melbourne’s home court and in front of a sold-out 5,000-strong crowd at John Cain Arena (the maximum allowed within Covid restrictions). United defeated Perth 81-76 in game three behind a truly dominant performance from Jock Landale (15 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 assists and 2 blocks). Landale would be named Finals MVP award as Melbourne collected their sixth NBL championship, their second under the United branding.

2021/22
This season, Perth would see Trevor Gleeson, who coached the team to five championships in seven seasons, leave to coach in the NBA with the Toronto Raptors. The Wildcats would then suffer another blow, losing mid-season signing Will Magnay and half of Perth’s bench rotation (Clint Steindl, Jarrad Weeks, and Jarred Bairstow), all signing multi-year deals to play for Tasmania under former Wildcats assistant Scott Roth.

Perth then looked to rebuild its squad, bringing in US coach Scott Morrison to replace Gleeson, adding imports Vic Law (via Brisbane) Michael Frazier III and signing Matthew Hodgson (via Brisbane) with their last free roster spot.

With the Wildcats missing key players Mitchell Norton, Matthew Hodgson, Todd Blanchfield and Michael Frazier during the season, Norton would see increased opportunities and increase his production for the third year in a row, putting up 9.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game in the Wildcat’s new system.

Perth played its first five games at home before playing 14 games away due to the border closures resulting from COVID-19. Despite the obstacle of being away from family and friends, the Wildcats spent the majority of the year in the top four and were a consensus favourite to make the Grand Final.

The dynamic duo of Cotton (22.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.4 steals) and Law (20.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks) was nearly unstoppable in the early stages of the season, with both players among the top three scorers in the league and Perth leading the league in total points scored (89.1 points per game).

Perth, who were second on the ladder (13-6), returned to Western Australia to play their last nine games, all at home. During that time, the team decided to replace Frazier with big man John Brown III, who flew into the country and began training only to receive the news that his former team would not provide a clearance in time for him to make the playoffs. Perth was then faced with the uncomfortable situation of asking Frazier, who had been training alongside Brown, to return to the lineup while Brown III headed back to the USA.

Earlier today, @PerthWildcats head coach Scott Morrison addressed the awkward nature of how things have played out with Michael Frazier II and John Brown III.#NBL22 pic.twitter.com/scxWbnKfDQ

— NBL (@NBL) April 6, 2022

A season ending knee injury saw Law shut down with only a few games to go, while Cotton also missing several games during the run home. This resulted in Perth winning only three of their nine home games and heading into their last game needing to defeat South East Melbourne to reach the playoffs. Perth entered the game sitting in fourth place, with their playoff chances on the line, but when the team built a eight-point lead in the second half, it seemed a lock that the Wildcats would return to the playoffs for the 37th season in a row. The Phoenix, however, fought back and ended the Wildcats’ extraordinary run of finals campaigns with a thrilling two-point overtime win, ending the team’s run of consecutive playoff appearances, a streak which had begun in 1986.

2022/23
After missing the playoffs for the first time in 35 years under Canadian coach, Scott Morrison announced he was leaving after just one season so he could return home for family reasons. In his place, the Wildcat’s appointed former Townsville Crocodiles star John Rillie as the club’s new head coach on a three-year deal.

Perth retained the majority of its roster, with only Kevin White (to Illawarra) and Matt Hodgson (to Taiwan) not returning. Perth re-signed Bryce Cotton (3 Year Deal), Todd Blanchfield (3 Year Deal) and Jesse Wagstaff (1 Year Deal) and elevated backup guard Kyle Zunic from development player to the full roster. Corey Webster, who the Wildcats had signed to a deal in 2017 only to see him leave before the season started, signed as a free agent. To round out the roster, imports TaShawn Thomas (France) and Brady Manek (North Carolina) were added for some additional scoring punch.

Rillie’s squad began the season nicely, notching up three wins in a row and looking like the Wildcats of old as they sat on top of the NBL ladder. This was then met with a five game losing streak and drop to seventh place, where they hung around until the final month of the season.

Norton was able to notch up his 300th game against Adelaide, which coincidentally was 36ers big man Daniel Johnson’s 400th game also. The entertaining battle saw many swings and lead changes, but it was the clutch shot making by Wildcats star Cotton in the fourth quarter that sealed the victory. Cotton led all players with 32 points as Perth defeated the Adelaide 36ers, 98-90.

The Wildcats did not rely solely on Cotton though, with TaShawn Thomas putting up a season high 22 points, Corey Webster recording 22 points and Norton adding 7 points and 2 rebounds in 19 minutes of court time.

With six games remaining in the regular season, Perth added Tai Webster to their roster after he was released from his team in Turkey, reuniting him with his brother Corey. Following the signing of Webster, Corey Shervill was released from the Wildcat’s 11-man roster.

The team’s final three games saw them lose to Tasmania (102–94) after allowing the JackJumpers to outscore them 27-15 across the final 10 minutes. A crucial loss to Cairns Taipans (84-71) set up a nail-biting last round where another Perth loss would see United finish sixth and the Wildcat’s eliminated from Finals or a Perth win allowing them to advance to the postseason.

While the Kings were able to lock down Cotton (7 points), Perth got big games out of Corey Webster (26 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists), Luke Travers (22 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists) and Brady Manek (21 points, 9 rebounds and 2 steals) to deliver a upset victory (96-84) against the league leading Kings.

The win saw Perth (15-13) claim sixth place on the ladder and advance into the league’s inaugural play-in tournament. There, they would face South East Melbourne in a game where they trailed the entire game until the fourth quarter. During the final term, the Wildcat’s outscored the Phoenix (41-23) and moved on the second round of the play-in tournament, on the back of a seven-point win (106-99). Perth then met Cairns in a game where the winner would advance to the semi finals as the fourth seed.

Although Cairns entered the game without their leading scorer and rebounder Keanu Pinder, a history making effort from DJ Hogg (32 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists) delivered the end to the Wildcats’ season. Hogg would record the most points ever by a Taipan in the playoffs, defeating the Wildcats (78-91) in the process.

Norton played in 30 games for the Wildcats and averaged 5.1 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists.

BRISBANE BULLETS
2023/24
Brisbane signed point guard Mitch Norton on a two-year deal after Perth had decided they wanted to move in a different, younger direction after missing the playoffs for their second year in a row. Despite having a season remaining on his contract with Perth, a agreement was made between the two clubs where a buy out of Norton’s contract, was agreed to.

At the time of signing, Brisbane Coach Justin Schueller was excited to welcome a player and person of Norton’s calibre to the Bullets roster.

“From the moment we started our roster build we kept saying we needed a Mitch Norton type in that spot, so when he became available, we jumped at the opportunity,” Schueller said.

“He fits who we want to be perfectly. He’s hardworking, a elite defender and a great culture fit.”

Mitchell Norton currently plays for the Brisbane Bullets and has played 338 games in his NBL career. He has averaged 7.2 points, 2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists since entering the league in 2011.

CURRENT CONTRACT:

Brisbane Bullets – 3 Year Deal (2024-27)

Dan Boyce (811 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.