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Fifth year seniors play a crucial role for the Spartans

Rarely do modern college athletes stay in one place, but at Norfolk State three longtime Spartans are filling in the gaps

"Him (Daryl Anderson), Nyzaiah Chambers and Tyrese Jenkins are the last 5 year players you'll ever see, on the face of college basketball, that stay at one university," Norfolk State head coach Robert Jones knows how rare his trio of veterans is this season. "I think the way the landscape is, you'll never get a kid to stay at one university for 5 years any more. With that being said, those guys have evolved in their own way."

All 3 of Jones' 5th year Spartans are role players. They've worked their way into the rotation over the course of their careers. They stayed in Norfolk, even as the transfer portal became more populated by the year. 

For Daryl Anderson, who moved a lot during his high school basketball career, finding a more permanent home was always a priority. "I wanted to make sure when I got to a school that I loved, I wanted to stay their my whole time in college so that was one of the biggest things for me." Anderson says he found that in Norfolk, "Culture, camaraderie between the guys, culture of winning, you don't see that too many places." 

One of the beautiful aspects of basketball is the synergy required for a team to reach it's full potential. It's not just having good players that matters, but having good players that fit. The veteran trio has proven crucial to the Spartan's fit. 

"Those guys, they're special to the program. They've won a lot championships here; regular season championships, MEAC championships, NCAA tournament games. They've had a pretty good career at Norfolk State. Even though individually they might not always stand out, they've been a part of everything we've done the last 4 years," says Jones. 

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