The Norfolk State women's basketball team heads into the 2019-20 season with a new look and plenty of fresh faces. The Spartans, coming off an appearance in the MEAC tournament championship game at the end of last season, look to carry that momentum into the new season, which gets underway with a home game Tuesday against Liberty. Tip-off is at 6 p.m. at Echols Hall.
 
The Spartans will look to replace production after losing four seniors from last year's squad who started at least 20 games: Khadedra Croker, Alexys Long, Raven Russell and Kendrea Dawkins. Each one of these players that graduated from NSU possessed unique skill sets that Spartans are looking to replace.
 
Russell averaged double digits in scoring last season and was an All-MEAC second-team selection. Long was the team's 3-point specialist who led the team with 42 made 3-pointers. Croker led the Spartans with 60 blocks, also good for second in the MEAC. Dawkins was the team's leading rebounder averaging 5.6 per game.

Despite the loss of those four stalwarts, NSU has returning firepower and experience at a number of positions in addition to several promising recruits who will need to play key roles for coach Larry Vickers' squad in 2019-20.

Here is a look at the Spartans heading into the season:
 
The Returners
There are several familiar faces coming back from last year's team, led by two returning starters at guard in seniors La'Deja James and Dana Echols returning to the fold. During the Spartans push to the MEAC championship game last year, both James and Echols were instrumental in the team's success. James led the team in scoring with 13.1 ppg, while Echols was the team's assist leader with 4.7 apg. James was named to the All-MEAC second team in this year's preseason poll voted on by coaches and SIDs in the conference.
 
"La'Deja and Dana are going to be vital to our success this year," said Vickers. "Deja is an all-around player that can pretty much do a little bit of everything, while Dana is our sharpshooter and playmaker. Both players excelled towards the end of last season, and we're hoping that carries into this season."
 
A key post presence returning for the Spartans is senior De'Janaire Deas, who has been at NSU her whole career, appearing in 81 games for the Spartans. Last year, Deas averaged 5.2 ppg while shooting 47% from the field, and she also averaged four rebounds per game.
 
"I really haven't coached many four-year seniors, so I'm grateful for what Deas provides for this team," Vickers said. "A lot of the newcomers needed some time to get to know me as a coach and how my practices are run, so it's nice to essentially have an extra coach out there."
 
While NSU has traditionally had plenty of talented players in the painted area, Vickers will also have a bevy of guards to choose from in his rotation.
 
Armani Franklin returns for her third year with NSU. During her freshman season in 2017-18, Franklin was named to the MEAC All-Rookie Team after averaging 5.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 20.8 minutes per game. She was slowed at times by injury last season.
 
Guard Danyael Goodhope returns after playing her first season at NSU as a junior last season. Prior to last season, the product of Princess Anne High in Virginia Beach made stops at Winthrop and Odessa College. Goodhope made her presence felt last year, especially with her quickness on defense.
 
"Both Armani and Dani are veterans who add much needed guard depth, and they both bring a lot to the table," Vickers said. "Armani was thrown into action her freshman year, and will move more to her natural position at the wing. Dani will also play at that wing position as a slasher offensively, and she can bring it defensively as well."
 
Shekinah Howard and Jameila Barrett are sophomores returning to this NSU squad who are looking to take a step forward in their second season as Spartans. Both players won state titles and scored over 1,000 points during their high school careers.
 
"I'm really pleased with the expansion of both of these players' games," Vickers said. "Shekinah has really hit the gym, and moving a lot better than before. Jameila is one of the team's hardest workers, and has all the intangibles by rebounding, deflecting passes, and getting steals." 
 
The Transfers
The experience lost with the four senior starters from last year was filled by number of transfers that are coming into this Spartans team. New faces that transferred to NSU and are playing this year include Chanette Hicks, Mikaela Jones and Blaire Thomas.
 
The Spartans are expecting steady production from Norfolk native and Virginia Tech transfer Hicks, who sat out all of last season because of NCAA transfer regulations. During her career with the Hokies, Hicks averaged 12.2 points per game and holds the single-season (123) and career (288) steals records at Virginia Tech.


"Since Chanette has been here the past year, she's been focused and really has helped pushing our other guards," Vickers said. "Obviously, Chanette's going to be one of the premier ball-hawks in the country, and offensively really allows the team to operate at a faster pace than prior teams."
 
Jones and Thomas will bring length and size as well as considerable experience in the post for the Spartans. Jones started her career at South Georgia Tech before moving to St. Petersburg College. She sat out last season while attending NSU. Thomas spent her freshman season at Iowa State before transferring to Iowa Western Community College for one year and then Johnson C. Smith for three seasons. She is playing as a graduate student.
 
"Jones can really finish around the rim, and she's deceptively athletic. Obviously the vertical movement is there with her height and length, but we're also really impressed with her lateral movement as a big," Vickers said. "Blaire is more of a stretch four. She can really shoot, and we're looking for her to create some gaps for our guards to drive."
 
All three of the incoming transfers provide extra defensive capabilities for a team already known for its rock solid defense. Hicks should provide perimeter defense and a ton of steals, while Jones and Thomas will clog the paint and make opponents shots just a little more difficult.

The Freshmen
One more backcourt player to watch for is Cam Platt-Morris, a recent graduate of Woodbridge High entering her freshman season at NSU. She carried Woodbridge to a VHSL state championship and was named first-team all-state her senior year. As a senior, she was also named by the Washington Post as an All-Metro honorable mention selection.

"Cam is another talented and athletic guard that is new to this team. She can drive and create her own shot in the paint offensively, and defensively will be stout against opposing guards around the perimeter and in the paint as well," Vickers said.
 
NSU also welcomes Norfolk local Ta'Liyah Edmonds, a graduate from Norview High School entering her freshman season. Listed at 6-2, she is the tallest member of the NSU roster and will be yet another shot blocking threat and post defender.
 
"I love Ta'Liyah's potential. I'm excited to see what she can do for this team when she's healthy," said Vickers.
 

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