NORFOLK — After a dominant 30-win season that ended in another MEAC championship, the Norfolk State women’s basketball program enters a new era — one determined to sustain the gold standard left behind.
First-year head coach Jermaine Woods, who takes over following Larry Vickers’ departure to Auburn, returns home to lead the Spartans after guiding Coppin State last season. The Granby High graduate said his first message was simple: keep the bar high.
“Our goal is to win another one,” Woods said Wednesday at MEAC Media Day. “We’re not shying away from it. We talk about it every single day. The goal is, on March 15, to cut the nets down.”
Picked second in the MEAC preseason poll, the Spartans will chase a fourth straight conference title with a retooled roster. Norfolk State lost stars Diamond Johnson and Kierra Wheeler, who combined for over 34 points per game, but return five players, including guards Da’Brya Clark and Anjanae Richardson, both preseason All-MEAC selections.
The Spartans also brought in a wave of transfers, including Hampton’s Jasha Clinton, North Florida’s Jazmine Spencer and Virginia State’s Carmen Kweti, the CIAA Defensive Player of the Year.
Woods said the transition has been “challenging, but rewarding” as players adjust to new systems and staff.
“Nothing’s the same,” he said. “The standard is the gold standard, but everything has changed. They did a good job of building a legacy, and we’ve got to continue the legacy — but we gotta do it our way.”
Clark and Richardson echoed that theme, emphasizing the competitiveness and adaptation required through summer workouts.
“Everything is new,” Clark said. “I feel like we’re progressing at (learning each other) over time, and we’re in a good place now. I’m confident in what we have and what we can do.”
Norfolk State opens the season Nov. 3 at Ole Miss, with its home opener set for Nov. 6 against the University of the District of Columbia.
Men aiming high, too
A year ago at MEAC Media Day, Christian Ings promised Norfolk State would put on a show. The Spartans delivered, capturing both the regular-season and tournament titles before dancing their way into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022.
This year, the goal hasn’t changed — only the faces.
Head coach Robert Jones returns just four players from last season’s 24-win team but was again picked first in the MEAC preseason poll. Eleven newcomers fill the roster, including transfers Anthony McComb III (New Hampshire) and Keyontae Lewis (Wagner), both preseason All-MEAC selections.
Leadership will fall to redshirt sophomore guard Jordan Leaks, one of the few returners, and McComb, who was named a team captain before playing a single game in green and gold.
“We’ve got 15 new people, but the standard is the standard,” Jones said Wednesday. “Jordan knows the culture, and Anthony’s already earned his teammates’ respect.”
Last year’s NCAA run has left Leaks, Jones and company hungry for even more.
“It never gets old,” Jones said Wednesday. “We try to have small goals within the big goals — capture the regular-season title first, then the tournament. You can’t live in the past, though. It’s all about the 2026 championship now.”
“Making the dance makes you hungry,” Leaks said. “We’ve got a lot of new guys, but we’re keeping that same culture. We’re still that hard, gritty team.
