On July 1, 2007, N.C. Central University welcomed LeVelle Moton to the men’s basketball team as its new assistant coach.

Moton, a guard on the men’s basketball team from 1992-1996, was inducted into the Alex M. Riveria Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004.

“Coach Moton brings energy, player development, player/coach relationship, and a great relationship with the high school coaches in the area,” said men’s head coach Henry Dickerson.

“Coach Moton was picked for the position because of his coaching ability, recruiting ability, and being an NCCU graduate and a NCCU Hall of Famer.”   In 1996, Moton received a bachelor’s degree in recreation administration.

Moton is the third leading scorer in school history with 1,714 points. He also ranks first in making three-point attempts with 213 of 529. Moton ranks fourth in free throws making 363 of 467, fifth in assists with 278, eighth in fields goals, making 569 of 1,159, 10th in scoring average with 16.6 points per game, and 11th in steals with 110. In 1996, Moton was named CIAA Men’s Basketball Player of the Year.

He was voted All-CIAA First Team, NCAA Division II South Atlantic All-Region First Team and NCAA Division II All-American Honorable Mention. 

In 1993, he was part of the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional Championship team.

Moton’s outstanding play earned him the nickname “Poetry ‘n Moton.”

Life for Moton wasn’t always so great. He grew up in Boston in a poor neighborhood in a single-parent household.

Then the family moved to Raleigh, where Moton recalls growing up to be rough.

“It was real ’hood, very violent, shootings, stabbings, and things of that nature. Every day I was walking out the door with drug needles on the ground.”

He said growing up without a father was hard.

“You need a man to teach you to be a man. Don’t get me wrong — my mother did a great job,” said Moton.

Moton’s childhood role models were his mother and grandmother, who died when he was 11. 

Growing up, he excelled in football and baseball. Later, he found a love for basketball.

After graduating from Enloe High School in Raleigh, he was scheduled to attend Wake Forest University, but had given a verbal commitment to Michigan State.

His godmother, Maxine Wall, an alumna, told him to look into NCCU.

Moton committed to NCCU without touring the campus.

“The coach couldn’t believe it because he had never recruited me and had no intentions to recruit me, because he felt that I was going to go to a big-time Division I school,” said Moton.

After college, he was drafted to the Seattle Supersonics but was later cut. He pursued his professional career in Indonesia, Germany and Israel for five years.

Homesick, he heard about a coaching position at West Millbrook Middle School in Raleigh. He coached there for three years and ended his career there with a 49-6 record.

He then became the basketball coach at Sanderson High School. Moton served as coach from 2004-2007, leading the Spartans to an overall record of 59-25. He also led the team in back- to-back Cap-7 tournament championships.

   For the past seven years, Coach Moton has run a youth basketball camp every summer named “Poetry ‘n Moton.”

Moton always wanted to give back to the community and has done so with this camp that ranges from the ages 6-16. The camp was held in Raleigh, but he plans to bring the camp to the Durham community.

Coach Moton values the player and coach relationship.

“The truth is I’m not concerned with their two hours on the court but their 22 hours off the court,” states Moton.

“Coach Moton’s knowledge for the game of basketball is out of this world!” said Bryan Ayala, a junior guard.

“He came just in time with this transition to D1. We need a coach like Coach Moton who has played with and against top competition. He knows what it takes to be the best.”