Jonathan Norton is entering his third season in charge of the Columbus State University women’s basketball program in the 2011-2012 season.  

While being in charge of the Lady Cougar program, Norton has up kept the CSU’s winning tradition, holding a 32-23 record in his first two seasons. He has coached two All-Peach Belt Conference players including the 2009-10 Player of the Year, Phebe Smith.

Norton and the Lady Cougars started the 2010-2011 season on a good note winning nine out of the first 12 games including winning the team’s first five games of the season. The Lady Cougars struggled down the stretch due to key injuries and lack of depth off the bench as they finished the year with a 15-12 record. The Lady Cougars, however, advanced to the Peach Belt Conference Tournament for the 20th consecutive season.
 
Norton returned to Columbus State after two successful head coaching stints at Berry College and Lander University.  While at Berry, Norton guided the team to an 81-49 record during his four-year tenure there.  In his first season with the Vikings, he led the team to a 24-9 mark, their first conference championship in 12 seasons and a national tournament berth.  Berry also made it to the national tournament in his final two seasons.

While at Lander, Norton took a struggling program and quickly turned it around.  Taking over a team that went 2-28 the year before his arrival, Norton won the school’s first-ever Peach Belt Conference championship in just his second season, posting a 24-6 record.  That year, the team set the school record for steals in a season with 401.  Norton coached three All-Peach Belt student-athletes during his tenure at Lander including Tracy Jacobs who had the fifth highest single-season point total in the program’s history.

Norton began his coaching career at Columbus State while an assistant under current athletic director Jay Sparks.  As the top assistant and recruiting coordinator, he was part of 130 wins against only 33 losses in his first stint at CSU.  That span included two Peach Belt Conference Championships, two South Atlantic Region Championships, four postseason appearances and two Elite Eight appearances. The 2001 team was ranked number one in the nation for most of the season and finished the year at 31-1 overall, falling in the semifinals to eventual national champion Cal Poly-Pomona.

Norton was also head cross-country coach at CSU, taking a perennial last-place team and leading it to a new role as conference contender. He earned PBC Coach of the Year honors in 1999 after leading his CSU team to a second place finish in the conference.

As a student at Columbus State, Norton served as an athletic trainer and equipment manager.  He earned his B.S. in Exercise Science in 1995 and his Master's of Education in Administration in 1997 from CSU.

Norton and wife Michelle, a former CSU athlete and Faculty Cup Winner, are both natives of Lilburn, GA. They are the parents of two daughters, Anna (born September 2006) and Emma (born July 2009)

Erica Crumley will be entering her first year as a graduate assistant coach during the 2011-12 school year.  She will work primarily with guard development, tape exchange, recruiting, strength and conditioning workouts and office administrative duties.

Crumley comes to Columbus State after a four-year career at Berry College.  There she played in 95 games despite having an injury that sidelined her during most of her season campaign.  Crumley had a career high 28 points her junior season when she netted 28 against Brewton-Parker and scored 632 points during her time as a Lady Viking.  The Cleveland, GA native helped Berry secure two bids (under Coach Norton) to the NAIA National Tournament before their transition to NCAA Division III status.  Crumley was also a member of the women’s golf team at Berry.

Crumley graduated from Berry in 2011 with a bachelor’s of science degree in Psychology.  She will be pursing a master’s degree in School Counseling.   

Brittini Young will be entering her first year as a graduate assistant coach during the 2011-12 school year.  She will work primarily with guard development, tape exchange, recruiting, strength and conditioning workouts and office administrative duties.

Young arrives in Columbus after a stellar four-year career at Mars Hill College.  During her senior season, Young averaged 17.6 points per game, led the conference in three-point percentage and was second in assists and free-throw percentage.  A Capital One Academic All-District selection, she ended her career with five school records and was fourth all-time on the scoring list netting 1,731 points.

Young has worked at several different basketball camps including ones held at Mars Hill College, North Carolina and Armstrong Atlantic State University.  She’s served as a referee on different levels and attended the NCAA Coaches Forum.

Off the court the NC native served as the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Vice-President her junior and senior years and as the Secretary as a sophomore.  Young was also a part of the Business Honor Club and the Alpha Chi National Honor Society.

Young received a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting and a minor in Spanish from Mars Hill in May 2011.  She will be pursing a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership with a concentration in Human Resources.