Norfolk State University Athletics

 

Larry Vickers Coaching Record
Year	University	Record	Pct.	Conference	Record	Finish	Postseason
2015-16 **	NSU	3-8	.273	MEAC	3-7	T-12th	MEAC First Round
2016-17	NSU	15-15	.500	MEAC	9-7	T-4th	MEAC Quarterfinals
2017-18	NSU	18-11	.621	MEAC	11-5	4th	MEAC First Round
2018-19	NSU	17-15	.531	MEAC	10-6	T-4th	MEAC Final
2019-20	NSU	19-11	.633	MEAC	12-4	T-2nd	MEAC Semifinals *
2020-21	NSU	5-9	.357	MEAC	3-5	2nd South	MEAC Semifinals
2021-22	NSU	17-12	.586	MEAC	11-3	T-1st	MEAC Final/WNIT First Round
2022-23	NSU	26-7	.788	MEAC	11-3	1st	MEAC Champions / NCAA First Round
2023-24	NSU	27-6	.818	MEAC	13-1	1st	MEAC Champions/ NCAA First Round
2024-25	NSU	30-5	.857	MEAC	14-0	1st	MEAC Champions/ NCAA First Round
Total	NSU	177-99	.641	MEAC	97-41	.702	** Vickers named interim head coach for final 11 games * MEAC Tournament cancelled before semifinals due to COVID-19

Long-time Spartan basketball fixture Larry Vickers enters his 10th overall and ninth full season as the head women’s basketball coach at Norfolk State University in 2024-25. Since he took over, the program has achieved its most successful run in its Division I era.

This season (2024-25), Vickers led the team to a program-record 30 wins, a perfect conference record and the MEAC regular season and tournament titles. The Spartans, who were undefeated in conference play, won 19 consecutive games entering the NCAA Tournament with the winning streak starting in late December with a victory at Auburn. Vickers also led the Spartans to a win at Missouri in November.

Norfolk State also received its highest seeding in the NCAA Tournament, coming in as a No. 13 seed. Vickers earned several postseason accolades, including the Kay Yow National Coach of the Year and BOXTOROW Co-Coach of the Year, MEAC Coach of the Year, and MEAC Tournament Most Outstanding Coach. 

Vickers Coached the MEAC Player of the Year and BOXTROW HBCU Player of the Year Diamond Johnson. He also coached the MEAC Sixth Player of the Year Anjanae Richardson, along with two All-MEAC First Team selections (Kierra Wheeler, Diamond Johnson), and two All-MEAC Third Team Selections (Da'Brya Clark, Anjanae Richardson). 

Vickers led Norfolk State to a then Division I program-best 27-6 record and its second consecutive MEAC Tournament Championship in the 2023-24 season. NSU advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in school history. The Spartans went 13-1 in MEAC play, winning the conference regular season title as well.  

Vickers earned his second MEAC Coach of the Year recognition while coaching the MEAC Player of the Year and BOXTROW HBCU Player of the Year Kierra Wheeler along with MEAC Newcomer of the Year Diamond Johnson. Additionally, Vickers coached one All-MEAC Second Team selection (Niya Fields) and two MEAC All-Rookie selections (Da’Brya Clark, Anjanae Richardson).  

The Spartans started the season 5-0 with a pair of two-point road wins over William & Mary and Drexel. It marked the program’s best start since the 1995-96 season. Leading up to the NCAA Tournament game against Stanford, Norfolk State posted a 15-game win streak from January to March.  

Vickers led the Spartans in 2022-23 to its first MEAC Championship title since 2002. Vickers coached the Spartans to a 26-7 overall mark and a first-round appearance in the NCAA Championship tournament, all while going 11-3 in MEAC action and winning the MEAC regular season title as well. Vickers was named the MEAC Coach of the Year and the HBCU National Coach of the Year by BOXTOROW. A pair of Spartans in Camille Downs and Deja Francis, were both named HBCU BOXTOROW All-Americans, while Downs was named the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. Additionally, Vickers coached three MEAC All-Conference honorees as well as three MEAC Defensive team selections. 

Vickers led the 2021-22 team to a 17-12 overall record, going 11-3 in the conference. The Spartans recorded their best-ever MEAC win percentage and earned a share of the conference’s regular season title for the first time in program history. NSU would make it all the way to the MEAC title game, falling to No. 1 seed Howard 61-44.

The impressive campaign resulted in Norfolk State's first-ever berth in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT), facing Drexel in the opening round.
 
It marked the program’s fourth winning season under Vickers, and the fifth season with a better than .500 record in league play. Prior to Vickers’ arrival, NSU had finished with a winning record overall and in MEAC play just three times each.The program owns a 26-12 conference record the past three seasons.

For the first time in program history, two Spartans landed on the All-MEAC First Team in the same season – guards Camille Downs and Deja Francis. The former became just the second player in NSU history to win the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year award. Both were named to the BOXTOROW All-American Second Team, with Downs receiving VaSID All-State Second Team honors as well. Mahoganie Williams established herself as the conference’s top rim protector, landing on the All-MEAC Second Team and joining Downs on the All-Defensive team.

Downs and Williams anchored another dominant defense under Vickers’ command. The team ranked third nationally field goal percentage defense (34.1), fifth in steals per game (12.3), sixth in 3-point field goal defense (25.6), 12^th in turnover margin (+5.59), and 22^nd in scoring defense (55.8).
 
In 2019-20, Norfolk State achieved arguably its best season since winning the MEAC title in 2002. Vickers guided the Spartans to a second-place finish in the league at 12-4, their best MEAC record ever by percentage and tied for their highest finish in the league ever as well.
 
Despite the season being cut short prior to the semifinals of the MEAC Tournament due to COVID-19, the Spartans still ended the campaign with 19 wins, tied for the second-most in their D-I history.
 
In her one and only season on the court at NSU, Chanette Hicks pulled a double-double in 2019-20, winning the MEAC Player and Defensive Player of the Year awards. Both marked the first ever for NSU, and it marked the first time in conference history a player swept both awards. She was also named VaSID First-Team All-State and the HBCU National Player of the Year by BOXTOROW.
 
Thanks in part to Hicks, who ranked second in the nation in steals at 4.9 as well as 12^th in scoring, the Spartans continued their defensive prowess in 2019-20. They finished fifth nationally in steals per game (12.2) and eighth in turnovers forced (21.6). On the offensive end, they set school D-I records for field goal percentage (40.9) and scoring margin (+7.0). Included in there was a 21-point win over Hampton, the Spartans’ biggest win over their rival in 25 years.
 
In addition to Hicks, Vickers has coached All-MEAC players Kayla Roberts (first team, 2016-17 and 2017-18), La’Deja James (second team, 2019-20), Raven Russell (second team, 2018-19), Jordan Strode (third team, 2016-17) and Armani Franklin (All-Rookie, 2017-18).
 
Russell and James led the way in 2018-19 when NSU placed fourth in the MEAC at 10-6. The Spartans found postseason success as well during a 17-15 overall season. They finished as runner-up at the 2019 MEAC Tournament, their fourth-ever MEAC Tournament title game appearance and the first since 2005. They reached the final day of the tournament following a 60-43 upset win against top-seeded North Carolina A&T in the semifinals, ending the Aggies’ 28-game winning streak against MEAC opponents. Both James and Dana Echols were named to the All-Tournament Team.
 
Once again, NSU did not disappoint on the defensive end of the floor in 2018-19, toppling D-I program records in scoring defense (55.2) and defensive 3-point field goal percentage (.259). The Spartans ranked fourth nationally in 3-point field goal percentage defense and were second in the conference in both scoring defense and field goal percentage defense (35.2). On the other side of the ball, NSU set D-I era records in 3-point field goals (153) and total assists (449).
 
At the individual level, Vickers coached Khadedra Croker to career program records in blocked shots (153) and blocked shot average (2.7).

NSU’s upward trajectory continued under Vickers in 2017-18 during his second full season in charge. The Spartans posted an 18-11 record, including an 11-5 mark in MEAC play for a fourth-place finish. It marked the first winning overall season since 2001-02.
 
NSU’s trademark defense once again constricted opponents in 2017-18. The Spartans set numerous D-I program records while holding competition to 56.2 points per game on 32.8-percent shooting, including 26.8-percent from 3-point range. Norfolk State topped the MEAC and ranked 18th nationally in scoring defense, while its field-goal percentage defense was the third-best nationally.
 
The Spartans blocked 213 shots in 2017-18, the fifth-most nationally and the most in program history. NSU averaged 7.3 blocks per game behind the historic efforts of Croker. Croker set the single-season program record with 93 rejections and ranked third nationally with 3.4 rejections per game.
 
On Dec. 18, Vickers coached NSU to a 53-27 win over Campbell, allowing the fewest points in the Spartans’ D-I history. That victory came in the midst of a nine-game winning streak, the longest such streak since the program moved to Division I.
 
Under Vickers’ guidance, Roberts earned recognition as a BOXTOROW HBCU Second-Team All-American in addition to All-MEAC honors.
 
Vickers led the Spartans to a 10-1/2 game turnaround in 2016-17 during his first full season, which tied for the eighth-best improvement in the nation that season. In addition, Norfolk State’s 12-win improvement was the largest single-season increase in program history. The Spartans went 15-15 and 9-7 in conference, recording their first .500-or-better season since 2001-02.

Norfolk State rode a stifling defense to success in 2016-17. Vickers’ squad ranked third in the MEAC in scoring defense, allowing just 57.8 points per game, and held opponents to 33.4 percent shooting, the third-lowest mark nationally. The Spartans led the MEAC and stood sixth in the nation with 5.9 blocks per game.

Vickers served as interim head coach of the NSU women for the final 11 games of the 2015-16 season and led the team to its only three victories of the season, leading to him being named to the permanent head coaching post following the campaign.

Prior to taking over the women’s program, Vickers spent eight seasons as an assistant coach with the Norfolk State men’s basketball program. He served the last three as the associate head coach, including the final year in 2015-16 when he took over the women’s program in mid-January. Vickers also held the title of recruiting coordinator for the program.

The Spartan men’s basketball team made five postseason appearances with Vickers on the bench. The Spartans played in three CollegeInsider.com tournaments from 2014-16, the 2013 NIT and the 2012 NCAA Tournament. The 2012-13 squad finished first in the MEAC with a perfect 16-0 record, and the 2011-12 team is famous for upsetting No. 2 seed Missouri in the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans also advanced to the semifinals of the MEAC Tournament six times during Vickers’ eight years coaching in the program.

Norfolk State had an all-conference forward or center seven straight years, including Kyle O’Quinn in 2009-10 (second team) and 2010-11 and 2011-12 (first team), Rob Johnson (third team) and RaShid Gaston (all-rookie team) in 2012-13, Brandon Goode (third team) in 2013-14, Jordan Butler in 2014-15 and Alex Long in 2015-16 (all-rookie). O’Quinn was a two-time MEAC Defensive Player of the Year and the 2012 MEAC Player of the Year before being selected in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft.

During his first five years as an assistant coach, Vickers served as the program’s primary defensive coach. The Spartans ranked in the top four in the MEAC in blocked shots three straight years as well as third in 3-point field goal defense for two straight seasons. NSU also led the MEAC in blocks in 2014-15.

Vickers also played a key part in NSU’s improved academic performance and APR turnaround. In 2010, the program was recognized for improving its APR score by 129 points during a three-year period, and in 2011 the Spartans were recognized by Fox Sports for having the 11th-best APR improvement.

The 6-9 Vickers walked onto the NSU team during the 2004-05 season. He quickly earned playing time and was a noted defensive player during his career with the Spartans. A two-time member of the MEAC Commissioner’s All-Academic Team, Vickers was named the Spartans’ Most Improved Player as a sophomore in 2005-06 and was also a team captain.

Vickers earned his bachelor’s degree in electronic technology in 2007. He has taken courses toward his master’s in urban education at NSU. He graduated from Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach.
 
Vickers is the proud father of seven-year-old Elle Christian and six-month-old Lincoln.
 

Larry Vickers Coaching Experience
2008-13	NSU	Assistant Coach (Men's Program)
2013-16	NSU	Associate Head Coach (Men's Program)
Jan. 2016-March 2016	NSU	Interim Head Coach (Women's Program)
2016-2025	NSU	Head Coach (Women's Program)