The Wright State point guard had missed the last three games and about three weeks of practices with a quad contusion. And his team wobbled without him, losing twice before beating Green Bay.
But the fourth-year junior was a major factor in a win against defending Horizon League champ Oakland on Wednesday, reaching career highs in points with 14 and 3′s with four in six attempts.
He also had four assists, two steals and no turnovers in 27 minutes.
“Obviously, it (stunk) being out three games. I wanted to be out there with my guys,” he said.
Food, clothing and shelter may be man’s basic needs for survival. But for the Hilliard native, basketball should have a place on that list of essentials.
“It’s been my life since I was a baby. It’s great to be back. I missed it,” he said.
The Raiders have other perimeter players capable of handling the point in a pinch, but Norris not only has an innate ability to run the offense, but also is a leader with the moxie to admonish his teammates.
That’s what happened after an 80-70 home loss to first-place Youngstown State on Dec. 18.
“Individually, I thought we all weren’t there. (We were) too into our own things, too worried about our own stats,” he said.
Asked how that went over, Norris said: “I think I’ve earned the team’s respect in that way, where I can speak my mind, and they take it in a good way.
“I feel comfortable doing that whenever I feel it’s needed. And I know they’ll respond to what I said, and they’ll be right there with me.”
Asked who else has that kind of clout, he said: “The veterans. Alex (Huibregtse) and Brandon (Noel), they’re here for their fifth years, so they can say anything they want as long as it’s about winning and about the team.”
The frustration seemed to stem from the Raiders’ motion offense getting bogged down by players who tend to monopolize the ball.
“That was one of the problems. That was an emphasis in practice. We’re just playing more together offensively and not letting the ball stick,” Norris said.
Surprising newcomer Jack Doumbia thrives with a give-me-the-ball-and-get-out-of-my-way style. And he’s Wright State’s third-leading scorer at 12.4 points per game while shooting a team-best 59% from the field, so it’s hard to quibble with that.
Without naming names, Norris said: “We’ve got some really talented one-on-one players, and we get that. In some scenarios, that’s what it’s going to come down to. But at the end of day, all we’ve got to care about is winning.”
The Raiders, who are 9-8 overall and 3-3 in the league with a game Sunday at Robert Morris (10-7, 2-4), haven’t solved all of their problems. Though coach Clint Sargent was pleased with having notched an ugly win — something that was in short supply with the finesse-oriented teams of the past two years — the performance was still, well, ugly.
But Norris said: “Winning always helps. Hopefully, this just brings the spark we needed going forward, and we can go on a roll from here. Winning cures everything in sports.”
SUNDAY’S GAME
Wright State at Robert Morris, 2 p.m., ESPN+, 101.5, 1410
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