Larry Vickers (basketball)
{{Short description|American basketball player and coach}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox college coach
| name = Larry Vickers
| image =
| caption =
| current_title = Head coach
| current_team = Auburn
| current_conference = SEC
| current_record = {{winpct|0|0|record=y}}
| contract =
| birth_date =
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| alma_mater = Norfolk State University
| player_team1 = Norfolk State
| player_years1 = 2004–2008
| player_positions =
| coach_sport1 = Men's basketball
| coach_years1 = 2008–2013
| coach_team1 = Norfolk State (assistant)
| coach_years2 = 2013–2016
| coach_team2 = Norfolk State (associate HC)
| coach_sport3 = Women's basketball
| coach_years3 = 2016
| coach_team3 = Norfolk State (interim)
| coach_years4 = 2016–2025
| coach_team4 = Norfolk State
| coach_years5 = 2025–present
| coach_team5 = Auburn
| overall_record = {{winpct|177|99|record=y}}
| bowl_record =
| tournament_record =
| championships = * 3 MEAC tournament (2023–2025)
- 4 MEAC regular season (2022–2025)
| awards = * 3× MEAC Coach of the Year (2023–2025)
| medaltemplates =
}}
Larry Vickers is the head coach for the Auburn Tigers women's basketball team.{{Cite web|url=https://auburntigers.com/news/2025/3/23/larry-vickers-named-auburn-womens-basketball-head-coach|title=Larry Vickers - Hired as Women's Basketball Coach|website=Auburn University Athletics}} He was previously the head coach of Norfolk State for nine seasons from 2016 to 2025.
College career
Vickers grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and graduated from Ocean Lakes High School.
The 6–9 Vickers walked onto the NSU team during the 2004–05 season. He quickly earned playing time and was a noted defensive player during his career with the Spartans. A two-time member of the MEAC Commissioner’s All-Academic Team, Vickers was named the Spartans’ Most Improved Player as a sophomore in 2005–06 and was also a team captain.
Coaching career
=Men's Basketball=
At the conclusion of his playing career, Vickers would join his alma mater as an assistant coach in 2008. He'd then be promoted to associate head coach in 2013.
The Spartans men’s basketball team made five postseason appearances with Vickers on the bench, and played in three CollegeInsider.com tournaments from 2014 to 2016, the 2013 NIT and the 2012 NCAA Tournament. The 2012–13 squad finished first in the MEAC with a perfect 16–0 record, and the 2011–12 team is famous for upsetting No. 2 seed Missouri in the NCAA Tournament which featured two-time MEAC Defensive Player of the Year and the 2012 MEAC Player of the Year Kyle O’Quinn.
=Women's Basketball=
==Norfolk State==
In mid-January 2016, Vickers was named interim head coach of the Norfolk State Spartans women's basketball team after Debra Clark was reassigned after starting the season 0–16.
In March 2016, Vickers was hired as Spartans' new head coach after finishing the season 3–8 in 11 games under Vickers with five of the eight losses being by single digits.{{Cite web|url=https://nsuspartans.com/news/2016/3/9/vickers-appointed-nsu-womens-basketball-coach.aspx|title=Vickers Appointed NSU Women's Basketball Coach|website=Norfolk State University Athletics}}
During his time at NSU, Vickers posted a record of 177–99 record, including an 83–18 mark over the last three seasons. Prior to Vickers’ arrival, NSU finished with a winning record overall just three times. During the last four years, his teams have had a 49–7 conference record, winning four regular season Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference titles, along with three conference tournament titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances.
Combined with his time on the men’s staff, Vickers has been a part of nine conference championships at Norfolk State.
==Auburn==
Vickers was announced as the new head coach of Auburn on March 23, 2025.
Head coaching record
{{CBB Yearly Record Start | type=coach | conference= |postseason= }}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
|name=Norfolk State Spartans
|startyear=2016
|conference=MEAC
|endyear=2025
|}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| season = 2015–16
| name = Norfolk State
| overall = 3–8
| conference = 3–7
| confstanding = T–12th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| season = 2016–17
| name = Norfolk State
| overall = 15–15
| conference = 9–7
| confstanding = T–4th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| season = 2017–18
| name = Norfolk State
| overall = 18–11
| conference = 11–5
| confstanding = 4th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| season = 2018–19
| name = Norfolk State
| overall = 17–15
| conference = 10–6
| confstanding = T–4th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| season = 2019–20
| name = Norfolk State
| overall = 19–11
| conference = 12–4
| confstanding = T–2nd
| postseason = Postseason cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| season = 2020–21
| name = Norfolk State
| overall = 5–9
| conference = 3–5
| confstanding = 2nd {{Small|(South)}}
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| season = 2021–22
| name = Norfolk State
| overall = 17–12
| conference = 11–3
| confstanding = T–1st
| postseason = WNIT First Round
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = confboth
| season = 2022–23
| name = Norfolk State
| overall = 26–7
| conference = 11–3
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = NCAA First Round
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = confboth
| season = 2023–24
| name = Norfolk State
| overall = 27–6
| conference = 13–1
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = NCAA First Round
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = confboth
| season = 2024–25
| name = Norfolk State
| overall = 30–5
| conference = 14–0
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = NCAA First Round
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Norfolk State
| overall = {{Winning percentage|177|99|record=y}}
| confrecord = {{Winning percentage|97|41|record=y}}
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
|name=Auburn Tigers
|startyear=2025
|conference=Southeastern Conference
|endyear=
|}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2025–26
| name = Auburn
| overall = 0–0
| conference = 0–0
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Auburn
| overall = {{Winning percentage|0|0|record=y}}
| confrecord = {{Winning percentage|0|0|record=y}}
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record End
|overall = {{Winning percentage|177|99|record=y}}
|legend = no
}}
References
{{Reflist|refs=
}}
{{Southeastern Conference women's basketball coach navbox}}{{Norfolk State Spartans women's basketball coach navbox}}{{Auburn Tigers women's basketball coach navbox}}{{Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Coach of the Year navbox}}{{DEFAULTSORT:Vickers, Larry}}
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:American men's basketball players
Category:American men's basketball coaches
Category:American women's basketball coaches
Category:Norfolk State Spartans men's basketball players
Category:Norfolk State Spartans men's basketball coaches