The men’s Player of the Week award this week goes to Mitchell Norton from the Townsville Heat, for his strong performance in the Heat’s win over the Rockhampton Rockets. Norton put up 24 points at a rate of 66.7 percent in the field and 75 percent at the free-throw line, to help get his team over the line against the ladder-leaders. Rockhampton were focused on shutting down Norton, with 10 fouls committed against the guard during the match. After Rockhampton stole the lead from Townsville in the third quarter, Norton led a comeback in the final term, hitting 12 points in the final 10 minutes to help get the Heat over the edge. It’s Norton’s first season in the QBL, the 19 year old joining the Heat after a successful first season with NBL side the Townsville Crocodiles. Norton is currently sitting on an average of 12.8 points per game and 3.2 rebounds per game this season with the Heat, his game against Rockhampton giving him his highest score for the season so far. Norton’s talent and potential was identified early, representing Queensland North at the Australian Under 16 Championships in 2007 and 2008, and the Under 18 Championships in 2009. In 2010, Norton was selected for Australia to compete at the Under 17 Men’s FIBA World Championships, averaging 11.3 points per game. Norton again suited up for Queensland in 2010 for the Australian Under 20 Championships, and again in 2011 where Queensland collected a silver medal. In 2011 he was selected for the Australian Institute of Sport touring team after securing a scholarship at the AIS, and travelled to Latvia for the FIBA Under 19 World Championships, but was forced to miss the tournament after sustaining a broken foot during the lead-up to the championships. Norton was this year selected for the Australian ‘Future Boomers’ team that picked up a silver medal at the Stankovic Cup in China.