2025–26 Norfolk State Spartans men's basketball team

2025–26 Norfolk State Spartans men's basketball
2025–26 Norfolk State Spartans men's basketball
Conference	Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Record	15–17 (8–6 MEAC)
Head coach	Robert Jones (13th season);
Associate head coach	Jamal Brown
Assistant coaches	C.J. Clemons; Leonard Fairley; Kyonze Chavis; Corey Coffer;
Home arena	Echols Hall

2025–26 MEAC men's basketball standings
	Conf.				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Howard †	11	–	3	.786	24	–	11	.686
Morgan State	10	–	4	.714	14	–	16	.467
North Carolina Central	8	–	6	.571	14	–	18	.438
Norfolk State	8	–	6	.571	15	–	17	.469
South Carolina State	7	–	7	.500	10	–	22	.313
Maryland Eastern Shore	5	–	9	.357	9	–	23	.281
Coppin State*	5	–	9	.357	7	–	24	.226
Delaware State	2	–	12	.143	8	–	23	.258

† 2026 MEAC tournament winner * Ineligible for both the 2026 NCAA Tournament and MEAC tournament due to APR penalties.

The 2025–26 Norfolk State Spartans men's basketball team represented Norfolk State University during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans, led by 13th-year head coach Robert Jones, played their home games at Echols Hall in Norfolk, Virginia as members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Previous season

The Spartans finished the 2024–25 season 24–11, 11–3 in MEAC play to finish as MEAC regular season champions.^[1] They defeated Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State and South Carolina State to win the 2025 MEAC men's basketball tournament and earn the MEAC's automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, their fourth bid all−time.^[2]^[3]^[4] The Spartans were defeated in their first round match up against eventual National Champion Florida Gators, 95–69.^[5]

Preseason

On October 8, 2025, the MEAC released their preseason polls. Norfolk State was picked to finish first in the conference, while receiving twelve first-place votes.^[6]

Preseason rankings

MEAC Preseason Poll
Place	Team	Votes
1	Norfolk State	118 (12)
2	Howard	97 (4)
3	South Carolina State	90
4	Morgan State	73
T–5	Delaware State	70
T–5	North Carolina Central	70
7	Maryland Eastern Shore	31
8	Coppin State	27
(#) first-place votes

Source:^[6]

Preseason All-MEAC Teams

Preseason All-MEAC Team
Team	Player	Year	Position
Third	Keyontae Lewis	Senior	Forward
Third	Anthony McComb III	Senior	Guard

Source:^[6]

Roster

2025–26 Norfolk State Spartans men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
G	0	Adrean Newton	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	Fr	Maury High School	Norfolk, Virginia
G	1	Dian Wright-Forde	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	215 lb (98 kg)		Texas A&M–Corpus Cristi	Bay Shore, New York
G	2	Elijah Jamison	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Sr	UNC Wilmington	Louisburg, North Carolina
G	3	My'kel Jenkins	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	RS Fr	Woodside High School	Tarboro, North Carolina
F	6	Melo Baines	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	So	Lake Taylor High School	Norfolk, Virginia
G	7	Anthony McComb III	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Sr	New Hampshire	Dayton, Ohio
F	11	Devon Ellis	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Sr	Valparaiso	Schaumburg, Illinois
G	13	Ahmad Torrence	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Fr	Thurgood Marshall Academy	New York, New York
F	14	Yel Deeng	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Jr	Casper Community College	Amarillo, Texas
G	15	Mekhi Reid	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	RS Jr	Mary Baldwin	Virginia Beach, Virginia
G	20	Jordan Leaks	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	RS So	Phoebus High School	Hampton, Virginia
F	21	Jaquel Morris	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Sr	St. Peter's	Brooklyn, New York
F	23	Keyontae Lewis	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	260 lb (118 kg)	Sr	Wagner	Richmond, Virginia
G	35	Dramane Camara	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Jr	DePaul	Paris, France

Head coach

Robert Jones (SUNY New Paltz)

Assistant coach(es)

Jamal Brown (South Carolina State)
C.J. Clemons (Norfolk State)
Leonard Fairley (Norfolk State)
Kyonze Chavis (Norfolk State)
Corey Coffer (Norfolk State)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: November 13, 2025

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 3, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Washington Adventist	W 98–76	1–0	19 – McComb III	6 – Tied	4 – Tied	Echols Hall (1,820) Norfolk, VA
November 5, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Regent	W 119–55	2–0	19 – Ellis	7 – Tied	6 – Leaks	Echols Hall (1,737) Norfolk, VA
November 8, 2025* 4:00 pm, ESPN+		William & Mary	L 78–81	2–1	19 – McComb III	7 – Tied	5 – Jamison	Echols Hall (1,836) Norfolk, VA
November 11, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Old Dominion	L 57–60	2–2	14 – Jamison	7 – Ellis	3 – Jamison	Chartway Arena (7,951) Norfolk, VA
November 14, 2025* 8:00 pm, ESPN+		at Towson	L 41–51	2–3	8 – Tied	8 – McComb III	3 – Jamison	TU Arena (2,323) Towson, MD
November 21, 2025* 8:00 pm, ESPN+		Hampton Battle of the Bay	W 62–60	3–3	18 – Jamison	6 – Leaks	2 – Tied	Echols Hall (3,912) Norfolk, VA
November 23, 2025* 4:00 pm, MWN		at Wyoming	L 67–75	3–4	19 – Tied	6 – McComb III	2 – Wright-Forde	Arena-Auditorium (3,245) Laramie, WY
November 25, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Virginia–Lynchburg	W 136–79	4–4	30 – Baines	9 – McComb III	11 – Jamison	Echols Hall (1,312) Norfolk, VA
November 29, 2025* 4:00 pm, ESPN+		at No. 2 Arizona	L 61–98	4–5	19 – McComb III	5 – Deeng	2 – Tied	McKale Center (13,461) Tucson, AZ
December 6, 2025* 2:00 pm, ESPN+		at James Madison	L 67–68	4–6	17 – Tied	10 – Leaks	2 – Jamison	Atlantic Union Bank Center (2,730) Harrisonburg, VA
December 10, 2025* 12:00 pm, ESPN+		at Baylor	L 67–97	4–7	19 – Tied	6 – McComb III	3 – Newton	Foster Pavilion (4,584) Waco, TX
December 18, 2025* 7:30 pm, ESPNU		vs. Grambling State Chris Paul HBCU Challenge	L 68–80	4–8	26 – Jamison	7 – Tied	4 – McComb III	Gateway Center Arena (535) Atlanta, GA
December 19, 2025* 7:30 pm, ESPNU		vs. Jackson State Chris Paul HBCU Challenge	W 82–72	5–8	30 – Jamison	8 – Morris	7 – Newton	Gateway Center Arena (375) Atlanta, GA
December 21, 2025* 9:00 pm, ESPN+		at UTEP WestStar Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational semifinals	W 72–71	6–8	21 – McComb III	6 – Ellis	5 – Newton	Don Haskins Center (3,525) El Paso, TX
December 22, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		vs. UC Irvine WestStar Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational championship	L 70–89	6–9	17 – McComb III	5 – Tied	3 – Jenkins	Don Haskins Center (2,816) El Paso, TX
December 28, 2025* 3:00 pm, ESPN+		at Louisiana	L 54–63	6–10	16 – Leaks	8 – Leaks	4 – Tied	Cajundome (2,454) Lafayette, LA
MEAC regular season
January 3, 2026 4:30 pm, ESPN+		at North Carolina Central	L 67–69	6–11 (0–1)	18 – Ellis	8 – Ellis	4 – Ellis	McDougald–McLendon Arena (1,054) Durham, NC
January 10, 2026 4:00 pm, ESPN+		at Delaware State	W 66–64	7–11 (1–1)	23 – McComb III	4 – Lewis	4 – Newton	Memorial Hall (500) Dover, DE
January 12, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Maryland Eastern Shore	L 70–74	7–12 (1–2)	15 – Jamison	5 – Lewis	6 – Jamison	Echols Hall (1,240) Norfolk, VA
January 17, 2026 4:30 pm, ESPN+		at South Carolina State	W 89–82	8–12 (2–2)	19 – McComb III	7 – Lewis	3 – Jamison	SHM Memorial Center (1,139) Orangeburg, SC
January 19, 2026* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Elizabeth City State	W 86–61	9–12	25 – McComb III	7 – McComb III	3 – Tied	Echols Hall (2,157) Norfolk, VA
January 24, 2026 4:00 pm, ESPN+		Coppin State	W 103–76	10–12 (3–2)	29 – McComb III	8 – Morris	6 – McComb III	Echols Hall (1,483) Norfolk, VA
January 26, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Morgan State	L 78–79	10–13 (3–3)	23 – Morris	7 – Ellis	3 – Tied	Echols Hall (2,139) Norfolk, VA
January 31, 2026 4:00 pm, ESPN+		at Howard	L 60–88	10–14 (3–4)	13 – Leaks	5 – Jamison	2 – Tied	Burr Gymnasium (1,848) Washington, D.C.
February 7, 2026 4:00 pm, ESPN+		North Carolina Central	W 75–68	11–14 (4–4)	28 – Jamison	7 – Morris	3 – Tied	Echols Hall (2,235) Norfolk, VA
February 14, 2026 4:00 pm, ESPN+		Delaware State	W 75–58	12–14 (5–4)	17 – Ellis	7 – Newton	4 – Tied	Echols Hall (2,431) Norfolk, VA
February 16, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Maryland Eastern Shore	W 70–66	13–14 (6–4)	17 – Tied	6 – Ellis	5 – Jamison	Hytche Athletic Center (1,100) Princess Anne, MD
February 21, 2026 4:00 pm, ESPN+		South Carolina State	W 90–71	14–14 (7–4)	24 – McComb III	6 – Baines	6 – Jamison	Echols Hall (2,140) Norfolk, VA
February 28, 2026 4:30 pm, ESPN+		at Coppin State	W 75–69	15–14 (8–4)	22 – McComb III	6 – Ellis	2 – Tied	Physical Education Complex (428) Baltimore, MD
March 2, 2026 6:00 pm, ESPN+		at Morgan State	L 84–90	15–15 (8–5)	23 – McComb III	12 – Morris	5 – Newton	Hill Field House (2,612) Baltimore, MD
March 5, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Howard	L 76–84	15–16 (8–6)	22 – Gillus	7 – Harris	4 – Gillus	Echols Hall (4,165) Norfolk, VA
MEAC tournament
March 12, 2026 6:00 pm, ESPN+	(4)	vs. (5) South Carolina State Quarterfinals	L 82–88	15–17	24 – Jamison	6 – Ellis	2 – Tied	Norfolk Scope Arena Norfolk, Virginia
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern.

Sources:^[7]

References

^ "Spartans Clinch No. 1 Seed, Share of MEAC Regular Season Title with 81-69 Victory at Howard".
^ "Spartans Open MEAC Tournament with 77-70 Victory over UMES".
^ "Ings, Moore Lead Spartans Past Morgan State in MEAC Semifinal".
^ "Spartans Overcome 11-Point Deficit to Secure 2025 MEAC Tournament Championship vs. SCSU".
^ "Spartans Show Heart in NCAA Tournament Loss to No. 1 Seed Florida".
^ ^a ^b ^c "S. C. State's Jayden Johnson Named 2025-26 MEAC Men's Basketball Preseason Player of the Year". meacsports.com. Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. October 8, 2025. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
^ "2025-2026 Men's Basketball Schedule". Norfolk State University Athletics. Retrieved November 13, 2025.

[1] "Spartans Clinch No. 1 Seed, Share of MEAC Regular Season Title with 81-69 Victory at Howard".

[2] "Spartans Open MEAC Tournament with 77-70 Victory over UMES".

[3] "Ings, Moore Lead Spartans Past Morgan State in MEAC Semifinal".

[4] "Spartans Overcome 11-Point Deficit to Secure 2025 MEAC Tournament Championship vs. SCSU".

[5] "Spartans Show Heart in NCAA Tournament Loss to No. 1 Seed Florida".

[poll-6] "S. C. State's Jayden Johnson Named 2025-26 MEAC Men's Basketball Preseason Player of the Year". meacsports.com. Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. October 8, 2025. Retrieved December 16, 2025.

[7] "2025-2026 Men's Basketball Schedule". Norfolk State University Athletics. Retrieved November 13, 2025.

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[7]

Norfolk State Spartans men's basketball
Venues	Booker T. Washington High School Gym (1946–1955) Tidewater Gym (1955–1960) Gill Gymnasium (1960–1982) Echols Hall (1982–present)
Rivalries	Hampton Old Dominion
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26