For three of the last four seasons, LeVelle Moton’s North Carolina Central Basketball team has dominated the MEAC. He’s led the Eagles to two NCAA Tournaments and one NIT appearance. Many consider him one of the best coaches in the Triad area and considering that’s the same neighborhood where Hall of Famers Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski reside, it’s quite a compliment.
So the question is, with all the high profile head coaching vacancies this off-season, including North Carolina State which is right up the street, why hasn’t Moton, and other successful coaches at historically black colleges and universities, been considered for these jobs?
Coach candidly discussed this discrepancy on the Adam & Joe show on 99.9 The Fan – using a great Jackie Robinson analogy to explain why more successful HBCU coaches aren’t getting looked at when opportunities come available.
(The whole interview is good and I encourage you to listen to it in its entirety, but you can fast forward to the 7:50 mark to hear Moton discuss the lack of opportunities for HBCU coaches.)
The lack of diversity in college athletics has been documented. Beyond the court or field, African Americans aren’t represented well in leadership roles or positions of power. Coach Moton is right. We do need more Branch Rickey’s, but who’s bold enough to go against the Good Ole Boy system of college coaching and leadership to be one.