NORFOLK, Va. - The Norfolk State University women's basketball team announced a new partnership with the Salvation Army Kroc Center off of Ballentine Boulevard in Norfolk, Virginia on Monday afternoon. 

The Kroc Center will become the 'home away from home' for the Spartans when their home court at Echols Arena is not available for team practices.  

The basketball gymnasium at the Kroc Center with a newly refinished hardwood court will now display a banner celebrating the women's basketball team and the MEAC Championships they have won, both tournament and regular season. 

NSU celebrated the day by holding their team practice at the facility located just minutes away from the main University campus.  

The Kroc Center has a variety of activities for the community to partake in with a state-of-the-art exercise area with weights and machines, a second level walking track, the basketball court, as well as an indoor pool and water park space.  

"We are excited to partner with the Kroc Center as our 'Home away from Home' for the Spartan women's basketball team," said Head Coach Larry Vickers. "This space gives us a similar game/practice environment to our home court in Echols Arena that practicing in Gill Gymnasium could not quite provide. We appreciate the welcoming atmosphere the staff of the Kroc Center have created and the lengths they have gone through to make our team feel at home." 

Norfolk State opens the 2023-24 season on November 6 on the road at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.  

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