Norton proud of Bullets after crazy year

Mitch Norton had an outstanding first season as Brisbane Bullets captain on all fronts setting the example for his team and he already can't wait for next NBL season to start with expectations rightfully high.

Norton has now just completed his second season in the Bullets and first as captain having returned to his home state having started his NBL career at his hometown Townsville Crocodiles before stints at the Illawarra Hawks and Perth Wildcats.

Having already been a young captain at the Crocs and in a leadership role on championship teams at the Wildcats, the leadership sat comfortably on Norton's shoulders.

While it was a season where the Bullets had to tackle adversity right from the start with a horror run of unavoidable long-term injuries, he was the lone player to be out there every game and was outstanding.

His defence was again at a high level and he was unlucky to not be a top three nominee for the Damian Martin Trophy while he finished the season averaging 7.4 points, 2.9 assists and 2.1 rebounds while shooting the three ball impressively and being a tremendous playmaker.

Now that the season is over and Norton has a chance to take stock on everything that happened and the Bullets had to deal with, two things stick out.

It was a crazy year but he couldn’t be more proud of his teammates and everyone involved at the Bullets for how they conducted themselves, and the building blocks in place for a bright future.

"I think it's been a crazy year. I can't really sum it up in one word but I'm super proud of the guys that we have in our locker room and the people we have at this club," Norton said.

"It's easy to just roll over and make excuses, but what I love is all the young guys in our program who impacted this organisation on a daily basis.

"They might not see game time, but without them there's days we can't train so to have those guys involved and experience a year like this will only hold us in good stead moving forward. Proud is a word that gets thrown around a lot, but I honestly feel that way about this group."

It's only natural to think about what might have been for the Bullets in NBL25 had things gone their way and if they had more players available fore more of the time.

But the culture that Norton is trying to be a key part in building is all about not making excuses and just dealing with what you have to deal with, and still finding ways to put your best foot forward.

At the same time, Norton is already excited now for what next season holds for the Bullets with the hope and expectation that luck is a bit more on their side.

"The season sometimes feels like sometimes it's a bit of a what if," Norton said.

"What if injuries didn’t occur or whatever, but I was happy with how we just focused on what we can control and that's our daily habits, and turning up and helping each other get better.

"It was all about helping this team get better and helping create a better footprint in Brisbane in total and I know this season's just finished, but this will hold us in good stead and I already can't wait for next season to start."

On top of everything else, Norton is now excited to part of an NBL club in control of their own facility which provides everything the team ever needs under the one roof.

Then to see the support they are receiving from the Brisbane community at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, and as a proud Queenslander, it's something he couldn’t be more excited and proud to be part of.

"Having the facility is something that's rare in Australian basketball," Norton said.

"To have something that's your own and you can go in 24/7 and it might not put points on the board, but it gives you the ability to improve individually and collectively as a group.

"I just think the fan base as well is growing and we just had our largest crowd at our last home game shows a credit to us that we're playing a style of basketball that Queenslanders love to watch which is gritty and getting in there as the underdogs."