Auburn women’s basketball hires Norfolk State coach Larry Vickers

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Auburn has hired Norfolk State coach Larry Vickers to be its women’s basketball coach, the school announced Sunday.

Vickers led Norfolk State to consecutive Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances during the last three seasons. He replaces Johnnie Harris, who was fired a day after Auburn lost to Florida 60-50 in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

“Coach Vickers has an incredible technical understanding of women’s basketball,” Auburn athletic director John Cohen said in the school’s announcement. “He demands excellence from his student-athletes, while fostering an environment for young women to succeed. His understanding of the new landscape of college athletics is impressive. No one has worked harder for an opportunity like this than Coach Vickers.”

Vickers had coached the Norfolk State women since 2016, going 177-99. He started out as an assistant with the men’s program in 2008.

Norfolk State earned a No. 13 seed in March Madness this year and lost to fourth-seeded Maryland in the first round 82-69.

“Auburn is a great institution with one of the best athletics programs in the country,” Vickers said in the announcement. “I am excited to get to work and help bring championship level success to our women’s basketball program.”