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Auburn lands top HBCU women’s head basketball coach

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Emanuel Walker II | Last updated Mar 24, 2025 9:53 PM ET

Auburn has hired Norfolk State coach Larry Vickers to be its women’s basketball coach, per an announcement on Sunday.

Vickers led his team to consecutive Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances during the last three seasons. He replaces Johnnie Harris, who was fired following Auburn's exit in the SEC Tournament.

Winning is the key that every collegiate program is looking for from their coaches, especially at the Power Four level. That's something Harris and Vickers have in common. Harris took over in Auburn in 2021 after Terri William-Flournoy got the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament on three different occasions under her leadership. Unfortunately, the program wasn’t winning at a high level under both previous coaches.

Vickers comes in with a need to re-energize the program. When he took over at Norfolk State, she rebuilt and had consistent winning seasons for the first time since 2002. Harris put together two winning seasons as the Tigers head coach with one trip to the NCAA Tournament, which wasn’t enough for the faithful in southeastern Alabama. A tremendous leader that was trying to navigate through the rough waters when it comes to recruiting and developing players. However, she was awarded with the 2025 Naismith Coach of the Year Award for her leadership.

Vickers was a rising young candidate for the next big opening. He understands how to develop, recruit and communicate with his players to get the most out of them. While at Norfolk State, he turned out a winning season in the past four years, with the exception of the COVID-shortened season. Expect Vickers to boost Auburn's tournament chances in the coming years.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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