NORFOLK, Va. – Having inherited a 0-20 Norfolk State squad midway through the 2015-16 season, head coach Larry Vickers is no stranger to challenges during his rebuilding of a once-storied Spartan women's basketball program. Through his first two full seasons at the helm, Vickers has had an answer for each of these challenges, and now he is asked to solve one more in continuing his winning ways while replacing one of the program's best-ever players in Kayla Roberts.
 
Vickers will not face this challenge alone as the remainder of last year's record-setting team remains largely intact, led by a trio of senior starters in Khadedra Croker, Alexys Long and Raven Russell.
 
A Preseason All-MEAC second teamer, Russell leads all returners in scoring, assist and steal average and posted 11.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game. The Millbrook, Alabama native was the MEAC's fifth-most accurate player from the floor last season, shooting 45.5 percent from the field, and was ninth in the conference in foul shooting (72.0 percent). She couples her diverse skill set with a relentless drive on the court.
 
"Everybody loves to watch Raven play because of how hard she plays," Vickers said. "Hopefully that is contagious and we all are playing that hard. She'll be able to shift the defense regardless if she's posting smaller guards or taking bigger forwards to the rim."
 
Croker introduced herself as a dominant shot blocker last season, ranking third nationally at 3.4 blocks per game. She averaged 7.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists and rejected multiple shots in 24 contests. The six-time MEAC Defensive Player of the Week and third team Preseason All-MEAC honoree shattered the program's single-season block record, finishing the year with 93 rejections. This season, Croker will be asked to shoulder a greater burden on the offensive end of the floor, often featuring as the lone post player in a four-guard lineup.
 
"We know Dee gets excited about the defensive end," Vickers said. "This year we need her to post hard to get our guards more open. She's excited about that challenge."
 
Long rose to the challenge of entering the starting lineup last year, doubling her minutes and scoring production. The preseason all-conference third teamer averaged 10.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists last season while becoming a lethal threat from beyond the arc. The Clinton, Maryland native led the MEAC in 3-point percentage (43.1), setting the single-season Division-I era record in the process. Long's next set of challenges include stepping into a greater leadership role and replicating her production from a season ago while drawing more attention from opposing defenses.
 
 "It will be a little different for her as far as being elevated on the scouting report, so a lot of her shots will probably have a bigger hand in her face," Vickers said.
 
One thing is certain heading into the 2018-19 season: these Spartans will play defense. A known defender from his playing days at NSU, Vickers has transformed the program into a nationally-ranked defensive juggernaut. Last season, Norfolk State boasted the 18th-best scoring defense in the nation, allowing only 56.2 points per game. Additionally, the Spartans were third in defensive field goal percentage (32.8) and sixth in 3-point field goal defense (26.9).
 
However, the way NSU defends may change as Vickers leans more on his bevy of guards. The 2017-18 team, featuring Roberts and Croker, became the most-prolific shot-blocking team in program history, turning away 213 shots. Lacking another rim protector of Roberts' caliber to complement Croker, the Spartans will look for other means to deter opponents from driving into the lane.
 
"The last two years we've been a top-five shot-blocking team in the nation, but playing four guards changes things, Vickers said. "We'll have to take more charges and figure out ways to change momentum."
 
Opposing teams may find it difficult to keep possession of the ball long enough to challenge NSU's interior defense, as the influx of athletic guards, such as former Atlantic Conference Defender of the Year Danyael Goodhope, gives Vickers the opportunity to put even more pressure on ball handlers. At the same time, the NSU guards are being asked to take greater care of the ball themselves. Last season, the Spartans turned the ball over 19.2 times per game and were 321st nationally in fewest giveaways per game. When Norfolk State had fewer turnovers than its opponent, the team was 10-0 in 2017-18.
 
"Turnovers have been one of our main focuses in practice," Vickers said. "At the pace we play, we're going to turn some teams over, so limiting our turnovers will give us a better chance to win."
 
Although not by design, Vickers threw two freshmen into the lead guard spot last season. Armani Franklin made 20 starts for NSU last season, averaging 5.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists. The 2018 All-MEAC Rookie Team honoree flashed her potential early with 10 points, seven assists and four steals in the season opener at VCU. Franklin's classmate, Zairya West, made three starts and appeared in 21 games last season, averaging 1.8 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists.
 
This year, the Spartans gain the services of Dana Echols, a two-year junior college veteran and steady hand at the point guard position. She helped guide Shelton State CC to a third-place finish at the 2018 National Junior College Athletic Association Division-I tournament by averaging 8.2 points, 5.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game.
 
"Dana is the first true point guard that we've brought in," Vickers said. "It's good to have a true point guard on your team, but we have to nudge her to get her to shoot the ball some more."
 
While a reluctant shooter, Echols made 41.1 percent of her tries from deep in 2017-18 and led all Shelton State CC qualifiers in 3-point percentage (39.3) in 2016-17.
 
NSU's depth at guard is further bolstered by La'Deja James, a local product and transfer from South Georgia Technical College. As a sophomore in 2016-17, James logged 15 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game on 62-percent shooting for the Lady Jets. At First Colonial HS in Virginia Beach, James graduated as the all-time leading scorer and was the Coastal Conference's player of the year in 2015.
 
In the backcourt, Kendrea Dawkins and De'Janaire Deas will primarily back up Croker. Dawkins was the only NSU player to appear in all 29 games, was third on the team in blocked shots (22) and has the ability to score from the perimeter. A more-traditional post player, Deas averaged 1.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in 7.6 minutes per game last season.
 
Rounding out the Spartans' roster are two freshmen – Jameila Barrett and Shekinah Howard. Both are proven winners, claiming one state championship apiece in their high school careers, and Vickers expects both to make impacts when on the court.
 
While the 2018-19 team may not, on paper, look like previous squads coached by Vickers, the pieces are there to continue the Spartans' push towards a MEAC championship. A hot start to the season will be crucial, as last year's team was 2-5 after its first seven games.
 
"We've had really good Januarys and really good early Februarys, but the last two years we haven't started strong and we haven't finished strong," Vickers said. "That will be our focus going into this season."
 
Norfolk State has 29 regular-season games, starting with Tuesday's season-opener at Ole Miss, to integrate a talented and guard-heavy recruiting class into a nucleus of all-conference veterans. Recent history suggests that Vickers is up to the task.