Auburn introduces head coach Larry Vickers: 'I believe in hard work'

AUBURN, Ala. – Outlining his values and vision for Auburn’s women’s basketball program, new head coach Larry Vickers referred to principles that have guided Auburn people for generations.

“I believe in work, and hard work,” Vickers said, quoting the Auburn Creed Monday in his formal introduction at the Woltosz Center. “As y’all get to know my story, you’ll know I’m only here because of hard work.

“Hopefully our hard work can lead to championships. Hopefully our hard work can lead to that celebration of rolling Toomer’s Corner. Hopefully our hard work can lead to a 100-percent graduation rate.

The son of a 32-year U.S. Navy veteran, Vickers plans to provide exceptional student-athlete experiences while building Auburn’s program on innovation, accountability, integrity, civility, curiosity and engagement.

He comes to the Plains after 10 seasons as the head women’s coach at Norfolk State, including three consecutive conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances, and a 30-win season this year.

“Larry Vickers built something special from scratch at Norfolk State with precision and focus,” Auburn athletic director John Cohen said. “He clearly understands the new landscape of student-athlete evaluation, recruitment and roster management.”

Vickers brought his Norfolk State team to the Plains the past two seasons, winning 63-57 on Dec. 29, 2024, while outrebounding Auburn by nine and getting 21 offensive rebounds.

“We have a formula that works for us,” said Vickers, who has long stressed defense while discovering and refining his offensive identity in recent years. “We have a formula to rebound so we can take advantage of multiple mismatches.”

Vickers’ Spartans used a trapping defense to force 16 Auburn turnovers while holding the Tigers to 36.7-percent shooting, a staple of his system.

“I’m only sitting here because we hang our hat on defense,” he said. “I was fortunate enough to have the No. 1 scoring defense in the country in 2022-23. Our defenses have generally been nationally ranked.

“It’s a different level guard across the board every night, but we’ll have a different level of player too executing that same vision and plan.”

To leave his alma mater after 23 years at Norfolk State as a student-athlete, assistant coach and head coach, Vickers held out for a special opportunity.

“Auburn was a no-brainer because of the people, because of the staff,” he said. “We want to have quality people on our staff, and we’ll have quality people on our team.”

Vickers knows the importance of recruiting at a high level to compete in the unforgiving Southeastern Conference.

“What will my ideal Tiger look like? One, she’s going to have a lot of pride in the orange and blue from day one,” he said. “She wants to have a sense of excellence. We know it’s going to be super tough, but we want to go into every year looking to go 31-0.”

Vickers discovered the Auburn Creed on YouTube, a platform created 62 years after George Petrie authored his manifesto, an appropriate illustration for how the Tigers’ new coach plans to blend new-school ways with an old-school approach.

“That’s one thing I can promise,” Vickers said. “We’re going to work hard in the classroom. We’re going to work hard on the floor.”

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer