Latest news with #JermaineWoods
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Duke agrees to home-and-home with HBCU power
NORFOLK, Va. - Norfolk State Director of Athletics Dr. Melody Webb and head women's basketball coach Jermaine Woods have reached an agreement for a home-and-home series with nationally ranked Duke, bringing a major HBCU matchup to life over the next two seasons. The Spartans will travel to Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium on Nov. 12, 2025. The following season, the Blue Devils will make their first-ever visit to Echols Hall. Tipoff times for both games will be announced later. 'This is a landmark moment for our women's basketball program and our university,' Webb said. 'Hosting a nationally ranked team like Duke highlights our commitment to raising the profile of Norfolk State Athletics. It also provides our student-athletes and fans with a chance to experience top-tier competition on our campus.' The two programs have met only once before. In 2002, Duke defeated Norfolk State 95-48 in the NCAA Tournament's first round, shortly after NSU won its first MEAC Tournament Championship. The 2026 visit by Duke will be the first time an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) opponent plays at Norfolk State, marking a historic milestone for the HBCU. The Blue Devils finished last season 29-8 and reached the Elite Eight, ending the year ranked No. 7 nationally. 'I appreciate Coach Kara Lawson's willingness to set up this series,' Woods said. 'Collaborations like this help HBCUs gain national visibility. Her return to Norfolk will benefit our program, university, and the community.' Norfolk State enters the 2025-26 season after winning its third consecutive MEAC Tournament title and earning a No. 13 seed in the NCAA Tournament - the program's highest seeding to date. For more information on Norfolk State Athletics, follow @nsuspartans on X, @NSUAthletics on Instagram and YouTube, and visit The post Duke agrees to home-and-home with HBCU power appeared first on HBCU Gameday. Copyright HBCU Gameday 2012-2025
Miami Herald
03-04-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
HBCU to replace SEC hire with new head coach
Norfolk State women's basketball is looking to keep its hold on the HBCU/MEAC basketball world and it appears to have its man to replace Larry Vickers Coppin State head coach Jermaine Woods is reportedly finalizing a deal that would have him replace Larry Vickers as the program's head coach. The news was first reported by Liv Antilla and confirmed to HBCU Gameday by a source. The Norfolk, VA native recently led Coppin State to a 19-15 record, ending its season in the second round of the WNIT. One of those wins was against Arizona went 30-40 in his first two seasons at CSU. In his first season as head coach, Woods guided the Eagles to non-conference wins Winthrop, Saint Peter's and St. Francis (Pa.) and a fifth seed in the MEAC Tournament. Mossi Staples and Jewel Watkins both earned Second Team All-Conference honors while Watkins was placed on the league's defensive team. In a victory over Delaware State, CSU set a then school-record with 12 3-pointers and the squad set a single-season record with 181 3-point field goals. During Woods' second season as head coach, Coppin State advanced to the MEAC Semifinals for the first time since 2016 and posted impressive non-conference road wins at FIU and Pittsburgh. The victory against the Panthers was CSU's first-ever against a Power Conference program. Earning the four seed in the MEAC Tournament, Laila Lawrence and Faith Blackstone earned major MEAC awards, 1st Team All-Conference accolades and BOXTOROW HBCU All-America honors. Angel Jones also picked up 2nd Team All-Conference recognition. Woods started his playing career at Belmont-Abbey before finishing out at Christopher Newport University where he was a D3 All-American. He started his coaching career at Virginia Tech before transitioning to Old Dominion and Wake Forest. He joined the Baltimore-based HBCU as associate head coach in 2020. Now he's returning back home to take charge of a program that won 30 games and is the three-time defending MEAC Tournament champion. Last month Woods got a taste of being back home during the MEAC Tournament. "I didn't sleep at all. I haven't been sleeping. Haven't eaten either. So I need to eat. I'm going to have a good meal today," Woods said during the MEAC Tournament. "People are feeding us good. We have nice, fancy restaurants every day, and people are taking care of us." In addition to to eating well, Jermaine Woods now has the task of keeping Norfolk State on top of the HBCU and MEAC hill and keeping it as one of the best mid-major programs in the country. The post HBCU to replace SEC hire with new head coach appeared first on HBCU Gameday. Copyright HBCU Gameday 2012-2025
