Norris Cole is a homegrown talent of Cleveland, and he got to play ball with fellow Clevelander LeBron James in Miami Heat. However, James is already back in Cleveland, which begs the question, will Cole follow in his footsteps?
Cole returned to Cleveland last Sept. 19, but it wasn't to play basketball for the state. He was appointed grand marshal of the homecoming parade for the Cleveland State University, reported Latino Post. Cole also went to the Wolstein Center, the university where his banner is featured. The banner is captioned "homegrown NBA champion."
Cole was indeed very happy about his return to his home state but, more importantly, he is happier with how the people welcomed him. He told Cleveland.com that his banner is a blessing.
"There's an unbelievable amount of success I owe and appreciation I have for Cleveland State. The fact that they appreciate me enough to support me and put me up there is special. And keep me up there - it's still up there," said Cole. "Cleveland State helped me develop as a man, socially, mentally, physically, I grew up here. It was great. Going from a high school boy from Dayton to becoming a man when I left, was kind of special."
Cole also talked about his relationship with James, now that James has left Miami. Cole said, "We're still friends. Business is business, but personal life is personal life... our bond, our brotherhood we built, is not going to be broken just because he plays for a different team."
He also goes further to say that "I'm all Miami Heat" when he plays basketball. After all, it's the team that he currently plays for, and it's the company that's paying him. Nonetheless, Cole is very happy that Cleveland has James back.
How does the departure of James affect Cole in Miami Heat? According to Fansided, Cole will enjoy more playing time now that James is gone. As a point guard, he can now hold the ball more and will be relied upon, especially on defense.
