Norton can’t be mad to miss out

HE was a no-show for Illawarra’s Mad Monday drinks, but Townsville product Mitch Norton didn’t mind after receiving a shock call-up for Australia’s World Cup qualifiers in Melbourne this week.

After helping the Hawks end a disappointing campaign with a road win against Melbourne, nbl.com.au revealed Norton (pictured) received a text from Boomers coach Andrej Lemanis after Melbourne gun Chris Goulding suffered an ankle injury.

After being part of Australia’s winning Asia Cup campaign last year, the point guard’s hopes of wearing the green and gold at home for the first time looked dashed when he missed six weeks with a thumb injury.

But the 24-year-old was in the right place at the right time.

“A few of the guys had plans for Mad Monday but I’ll have to catch up with them another time,” he said.

“We were just downstairs as a team having dinner (after the Melbourne game) and I got a message to duck up to Andrej’s room.

“It didn’t even click with Goulding going down (that it was a possibility), I was so caught up in the game.

“To get the call-up was pretty special.”

It completes a memorable week for Norton, who drained a long-range buzzer-beater in Friday’s boilover win in New Zealand.

“It was pretty cool. Obviously we were down a lot in that game and to fight back like that was great,” he said.

“With four seconds left I saw a few people in the key and thought I couldn’t get it in there, I thought the shot was a bit long but it banked in.”

The former Crocodiles skipper is off contract with Illawarra and said while talks hadn’t begun yet, he planned to stay in the NBL.

The Boomers play the Philippines tonight and Chinese Taipei on Sunday, both in Melbourne.