This time last year, Norfolk State women's basketball coach Larry Vickers prepared to lead a somewhat unfamiliar team into its first season together. The team had lost four starters, bringing in 12 newcomers.
 
When the Spartans open the 2022-23 season at Echols Hall Monday evening against Virginia University Lynchburg, the group has the luxury of confidence from previous success. With all five starters returning, and a full season together under its belt, the cohesive team eagerly awaits the potential leaps the program can make.
 
"We just want to keep building on that chemistry and comradery," Vickers said. "Last year we had 12 new players, so going into this year with nine returners we're just excited to have some continuity in the program."
 
The 2021-22 campaign showed many special glimpses into how strong the current team can be. NSU earned a share of the MEAC regular season title for the first time in program history, advancing to the conference championship before falling to No. 1 seed Howard. This go-around, the Spartans have their sights set on a MEAC Championship and NCAA tournament berth.
 
"That's always been the goal since last year," point guard Deja Francis said. "It's my fifth year so it's all or nothing. I'm here to win and that's it."
 
Francis earned First Team All-MEAC honors in 2022 with teammate Camille Downs, who came to NSU after three previous collegiate stops. The seniors became the first Spartan pair to receive a First Team nod in the same season, combining for 26.2 points per game.
 
Mahoganie Williams joined Downs on the MEAC All-Defensive Team, receiving an All-MEAC Second Team selection as well. The pair anchored a Norfolk State defense that ranked top ten in the nation in field goal percentage defense and turnovers forced. Downs, the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, ranked fourth in the nation in steals per game (3.3) while Williams ranked 18^th in blocks per game (2.4), both figures leading the conference.
 
The most unforgettable moment of the season, at least from the postseason, had to come during the MEAC Semifinals against Morgan State, when Downs hit a game-winning turnaround jumper at the buzzer, sending the Spartans to the MEAC Championship. But multiple players stepped up off the bench to make that run possible as well, contributors who could embrace enhanced roles this year.
 
Makoye Diawara posted the first double-double of her career against the Bears, scoring 14 points and pulling in ten rebounds, before adding her second double-double in the very next day's championship game. She added eight points and seven rebounds against Drexel in the WNIT, concluding a season in which she tallied a team-best .464 field goal percentage.
 
Guard Crystal White provided the spark in the Spartans' first round matchup against North Carolina Central, scoring 11 points in a second quarter burst that included a trio of 3-pointers. This year, she could become of the team's most lethal weapons from behind the arc.
 
"I've been really pleased with Crystal's offseason and how she's playing in practice," Vickers said. "She's played really well in our scrimmages."
 
Norfolk State hasn't ever had difficulty bringing in local talent, but the team's exceptional guard play features a plethora of Northeast representation. Captains Francis (Queens) and Niya Fields (Peekskill) come from New York, as well as 5-9 sophomore Da'naijah Williams (Brooklyn). Danielle Robinson, a Newark, N.J. product, transferred from Seton Hall this summer and brings versatility and experience at the wing position.
 
"Danielle can create her own shot, she's amazing on dribble pull-ups. She can play with or without the ball," Vickers said. "She loves the game and that's obvious."
 
Guards Tamiya Santos, who redshirted her freshman season, and Alana Swift, who sat out 2021-22 after transferring from Panola CC, will make their debuts this year as well. Skye Robinson, another summer addition, spent one season at VCU and knows how to get everyone on the floor involved.
 
"The sky is going to be the limit for Skye," Vickers said. "She almost has a Draymond [Green] mindset, she doesn't look at the rim too much. She wants to be a playmaker. Anytime you have a forward that can pass the ball really well, it opens up a ton of things for me as a coach."
 
The last newcomer to arrive on campus, Kierra "Meme" Wheeler has dominated the post since her high school days in Minneapolis, Minn. As a freshman at Daytona State College, Wheeler averaged 12.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, 1.2 assists, and 1.1 steals per contest. She ranked top ten in the state in rebounding and field goal percentage and top 25 in the nation for offensive rebounding.
 
"She's going to provide a true post presence," Vickers said. "Even with her being a true forward, she's super talented and has tremendous guard skills."

Up and down the roster, every player has welcomed Skye Robinson, Danielle Robinson, and Wheeler to the program with open arms, and Francis cannot wait until Norfolk State fans see their talent put to the test on Monday night.