Nov. 10, 2009

GAME NOTES vs. UNC

THE GAME

North Carolina Central University meets the University of North Carolina in first round action of the 2009 2KSports Classic benefitting Coaches vs. Cancer. This is the season opener for NCCU, who is in its third season as a Division I program. This game also marks the beginning of the "LeVelle Moton Era" as the former player makes his debut as the program's 17th head coach.

THE SERIES

This will be NCCU's first regular season meeting against North Carolina. This is the Eagles second meeting against a defending national champion. The Eagles battled the University of Florida in its first season of Division I competition falling 105-51 in Gainesville, Fla. on Nov. 14, 2007.

UP NEXT

Eagles travel down south to take on its second-straight ACC opponent, when they go toe-to-toe with the University of Miami at 4:00 p.m. This will be the second meeting between NCCU and Miami, with the Hurricanes taking the first matchup 76-42 on Jan. 3, 2009. With 17:05 to go in the second half, NCCU trailed 31-29 , but the Canes outscored NCCU down the stretch 45-13 to pull away for the win.

THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA TARHEELS

In first round action of the 2KSports Classic benefitting Coaches vs Cancer, the fourth-ranked and defending national champion North Carolina Tarheels disposed of Isiah Thomas and the FIU Golden Panthers in its home opener 88 to 72 despite turning the ball over 26 times in the win. The Tarheels held FIU to 37 percent shooting, and were fueld behind Deon Thompson's 20-point 10-rebound effort to get win number one of the season.

THE EAGLES' COACH

LeVelle Moton (NCCU, 1996) makes his debut this season as head men's basketball coach. He initially returned to his alma mater as assistant men's basketball coach in July 2007. The Hall-of-Famer joined the NCCU staff after serving as head boys basketball coach at Sanderson High School in his hometown of Raleigh, N.C. During his three-year tenure (2004-07) at Sanderson, Moton led the Spartans to an overall record of 59-25, while winning back-to-back Cap-7 tournament championships in 2006 and 2007. A 1996 graduate of NCCU with a bachelor's degree in recreation administration, Moton became the school's third all-time leading scorer with 1,714 points during his historic hardwood career as an Eagle from 1992-96, earning the nickname "Poetry `n Moton." During his junior and senior seasons, Moton was voted All-CIAA First Team, NCAA Division II South Atlantic All-Region First Team and NCAA Division II All-America Honorable Mention. He was named the 1996 CIAA (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association) Men's Basketball Player of the Year and was inducted into the NCCU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004. Among NCCU's all-time career leaders, Moton ranks first in 3-point field goals made (213 of 529), third in scoring (1,714 points), fourth in free throws made (363 of 467), fifth in assists (278), eighth in field goals made (569 of 1,159), 10th in scoring average (16.6 points per game), and 11th in steals (110). As a junior (1994-95), he topped the CIAA and was No. 16 in the NCAA Division II in scoring with an average of 23.5 points per game. His 87 made three-point field goals that year remains the school's single-season record.

As a senior (1995-96), he placed second in the CIAA with 21.3 points per game and ranked among the conference's top 10 statistical leaders in assists, free throw percentage and 3-point field goal percentage. Moton played on three CIAA Southern Division Championship teams and made two trips to the NCAA playoffs, including an NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional Championship title in 1993. After NCCU, Moton played four years of professional basketball in Indonesia (1996-97) and Israel (1998-99). Throughout his professional playing career, Moton averaged 25.0 points per contest, and dished out a little more than five assists per game as a pro. He was head coach at West Millbrook Middle School for three seasons (2001-04) before taking over the Sanderson boys basketball program in 2004. Moton is a 1992 graduate of Enloe High School in Raleigh, N.C., where he was named Cap5 Player of the Year as a senior. Moton and his wife, Bridget, married on June 28, 2008. The couple celebrated the birth of their first child, Brooke, on March 12, 2009, just 13 days prior to being named Head Coach.

EAGLES STREAK FROM LONG RANGE

As a team, NCCU has made a three-point field goal in 102 consecutive games. The last time the Eagles failed to make a shot from beyond the arch was on Jan. 17, 2006, during a 64-61 victory over Livingstone College in Salisbury, N.C. From the start of the 1991-92 season until Jan. 14, 2006, NCCU made a three-pointer in 395 consecutive games, making the Eagles' run 497 out of the last 498 contests.

16,846 IS THE MAGIC NUMBER

The first schedule under new head coach LeVelle Moton sees 15 contests inside state lines, and trips to eight different states (Florida, Colorado, Iowa, New York, Texas, Virginia, Georgia, Ohio) in the Eagles third season at the Division I level.

NCCU is set to travel approximately 16,846 miles to complete its 2009-10 basketball schedule.

THE CONFERENCE CAROUSEL

In the Division I Basketball tier of the NCAA, there are 32 conferences across the nation. During the 2009-2010 season, the NCCU Eagles will play teams from 14 different conferences. Listed are the conferences in which NCCU will face: ACC (North Carolina, Miami, Virginia Tech, and NC State), Sun Belt (FIU), Ohio Valley Conference (Murray State), Colonial Athletic Association (James Madison), Big Ten (Iowa and Indiana), Atlantic Sun (Florida Gulf Coast), Mid-American Conference (Ball State), Big South (High Point), Mountain West Conference (Air Force), Conference USA (East Carolina and SMU), Patriot League (Colgate), The Horizon League (Youngstown State), The Summit (Western Illinois), MEAC (Maryland Eastern Shore)

SEPTEMBER 10, 2009- NCCU IS ACCEPTED INTO MEAC

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced that North Carolina Central University will join the conference as its 13th member, as voted on by the conference's Council of Chief Executive Officers (CCEOs), effective July 1, 2010. A press conference is set for noon on Sept. 10 at the McLendon-McDougald Gymnasium on the campus of NCCU in Durham, N.C. "I am elated to have such an outstanding academic institution as North Carolina Central to return to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference," said MEAC Commissioner Dennis E. Thomas. "I would like to commend Chancellor Nelms, Dr. Wicker-McCree, and the entire NCCU family for all their continued hard work as they make the transition from Division II to Division I."

Commissioner Thomas added, "The addition of NCCU keeps us in compliance with our long range strategic plan of adding up to 14 members. NCCU is a perfect fit for the MEAC." NCCU is in the third year of its reclassification from NCAA Division II to Division I. NCCU is one of seven founding member institutions of the MEAC. The Eagles withdrew from the conference in 1979, opting to remain a Division II member when the conference reclassified to Division I. From 1979-2007, NCCU competed in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). "This is a significant milestone in North Carolina Central University's transition to Division I," said NCCU Chancellor Charlie Nelms. "Membership in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference is a win-win proposition for our student-athletes, alumni and fans -- indeed, all our university constituents."

"This is wonderful news for North Carolina Central University, but most importantly for our student-athletes, coaches and fans," said NCCU Director of Athletics, Dr. Ingrid Wicker-McCree. "The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference is a fantastic conference with highly competitive academic and athletic institutions. For NCCU to return to the MEAC and be part of its rich history is a tremendous step for our athletics program. We now have a place to call home."

The addition of NCCU marks the second expansion for the MEAC since 2007, when Winston-Salem State became the 12th member of the conference. Prior to Winston-Salem State, the MEAC expanded in the 90's with the inclusion of Norfolk State in 1997 and Hampton in 1995. NCCU becomes the third MEAC institution located in the state of North Carolina and the fourth in the Carolinas, joining WSSU, North Carolina A&T State (Greensboro), and South Carolina State (Orangeburg).

ABOUT THE MEAC:

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, a NCAA Division I Conference, is in its 40th year of operation heading into the 2009-10 academic school year. The MEAC is made up of 12 outstanding, historically black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Bethune-Cookman University, Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Florida A&M University, Hampton University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina A&T State University, South Carolina State University, and Winston-Salem State University.

EAGLES IN TRANSITION - THIRD YEAR OF DIVISION I

North Carolina Central University, located in Durham, N.C., is in its third season of NCAA Division I competition. The Eagles will be eligible for the NCAA post-season at the end of the four-year reclassification process in the 2011-12 campaign.

NCCU: A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE MEAC

NCCU was a founding member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and competed in the league from its beginning in 1971 until 1979. The following text is from the History section of the MEAC web site: "In 1969, a group of innovators long associated with intercollegiate athletics met in Durham, NC to discuss the feasibility of organizing a new conference based along the Atlantic coastline. A number of representatives from different institutions joined the steering committee in a two-day discussion about the new conference. Seven of these institutions agreed to become the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference: Delaware State College, Howard University, University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University and South Carolina State University. The MEAC headquarters remained in Durham, N.C. until 1981, moving to Greensboro March 26, 1982. In August 2005, the MEAC relocated to its current location in Virginia Beach, Va. The league was confirmed in 1970, kicking off its first season of competition in Football in 1971."

NCCU MEN'S BASKETBALL HISTORY LESSON

For decades, the NCCU men's basketball program has been competitive among its peers in the NCAA Division II ranks. The Eagles have made six trips to the NCAA playoffs in the past 20 years, including a regional title in 1993 and the national championship crown in 1989. NCCU has produced Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and legendary Boston Celtic Sam Jones. He played with the Eagles from 1951-54/1956-57, scoring 1,745 points under head coach John B. McLendon, also a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.

ASSISTANT COACH MARTIN PART OF WOLFPACK HISTORY

NCCU assistant coach Ray Martin (Notre Dame, 1977) spent eight seasons early in his career as an assistant coach at N.C. State under legendary head mentor Jim Valvano. During Martin's tenure on the Wolfpack sideline from 1980-88, N.C. State won two ACC Tournament Championships (1983, 1987) and made six trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a National Championship title in 1983. N.C. State celebrated the 25th anniversary of the national championship team on Feb. 16, 2008. Martin missed the event as he was on the Eagles' bench helping to guide NCCU to a victory over Chowan University in Durham, N.C.