The HBCU women’s basketball community is mourning the loss of a legend.
James Sweat, who coached both Hampton and Norfolk State’s women’s basketball teams to great success, died Saturday at 88 years of age.
Sweat, a 1959 graduate of Virginia State, coached the Hampton women’s basketball team from 1981 to 1988, winning the NCAA Division II national championship in his final season at the school.
One of his players on that championship team was Jacqie McWilliams Parker, now serving as commissioner of the CIAA.
“Coach Sweat elevated the game across our HBCU community and raised expectations for what our programs could achieve with the support and the investment,” McWilliams Parker said in a statement released by the CIAA. “His leadership, his standards, and his belief in his student athletes helped shape generations of women who went on to lead in sport and beyond. His influence and legacy will be felt for years to come.”
Following his run at Hampton, Sweat coached at Norfolk State until his retirement in 2007.
He was instrumental in the school’s transition to NCAA Division I and in 2002, he led the Lady Spartans to their first ever NCAA tournament appearance, defeating his old school Hampton 61-52 in the MEAC championship game.
Sweat’s career record over 26 seasons was 529-262.
“Beyond wins and championships, James Sweat’s impact was measured in lives shaped, student-athletes empowered, coaches inspired, and a community forever changed,” Norfolk State athletics said in a statement. “His legacy lives on in the Spartan tradition of grit, determination, and excellence.”
