Larry Vickers, who led Norfolk State to unprecedented success, has been named Auburn’s head women’s basketball coach, Athletics Director John Cohen announced Sunday.
Vickers, an 18-year coaching veteran, spent the past decade transforming NSU’s women’s program, guiding the Spartans to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances and an 83-18 record over the last three seasons. Under his leadership, NSU claimed four MEAC regular-season titles and three tournament championships.
“Throughout the search process, one name continually rose to the top – Larry Vickers,” Cohen said. “He has an incredible technical understanding of women’s basketball and fosters an environment for young women to succeed.”
This past season, Vickers led NSU to a program-record 30 wins and an undefeated conference season, earning MEAC Coach of the Year honors. His team entered the NCAA Tournament on a 19-game winning streak, which began with a victory at Auburn in December.
“I want to thank President Roberts, John Cohen and the entire search committee for this incredible opportunity,” Vickers said. “Auburn is a great institution with one of the best athletics programs in the country. I am excited to get to work and help bring championship-level success to our women’s basketball program. War Eagle!”
Vickers took over NSU’s women’s team midway through the 2015-16 season and quickly revitalized the program. He guided the Spartans to their first MEAC title since 2002 in 2022-23 and repeated as champions in 2023-24, setting a then-program best 27-6 record. He also coached multiple MEAC Player of the Year and All-Conference selections.
Before leading the women’s team, Vickers spent eight years as an assistant and associate head coach for NSU men’s basketball, playing a role in five postseason appearances, including the Spartans’ upset of No. 2 seed Missouri in the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
A Virginia Beach native, Vickers played collegiately at NSU before earning his degree in electronic technology in 2007. He and his wife, Charisse, have three children: Elle Christian, Lincoln and Lane.
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Patrick is a junior from Auburn, Alabama, double majoring in journalism and marketing. He started with The Plainsman in the fall of 2022.
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