It is no secret, Levelle Moton has built something special at North Carolina Central University. Winning basketball has been big around Central since the 40s. A quick snapshot of the modern-day NC Central campus you see a lot of Eagle Pride, and not just within the athletics department. You see a lot of accomplishments, like the school being ranked as the #11 HBCU in the country, visible around campus. You see numerous academic accolades strewn around, which pairs well with a vibrant student filled body with Eagle Pride walking throughout. However, at the heart of it all, the reason why Phenom Hoops was on campus is because of the basketball program.

When you’re able to add an active and vibrant student body to the winning tradition of the basketball program, put in a couple of bells and whistles (like the DJ who was excellent) and you have a great home-court atmosphere. An atmosphere that is very fun for all in attendance.

Looking toward the basketball program, let’s start from the ground up and look at who NC Central has running the program. Levelle Moton had a storied career playing at Central from 92-93 to 95-96. In that time he averaged 16.6 points, 2.7 assists, 2.7 boards and 1.1 steals per game. Moton is 3rd All-time in scoring, 1st in 3-pointers made, fifth in assists and 8th in field goals made in NC Central history. These incredible numbers led him to be a D2 All American, Conference Player of the Year and to have his playing jersey retired (one of only five retired in school history). In 2009 Moton took on the daunting task of becoming the Head Coach of the program which he was one of the best ever to play.

In 2011 Moton had the difficult job of taking NC Central from Division 2 to the Division 1 ranks. That first year, Moton and the Eagles finished 17-15, and he hasn’t looked back. NC Central has made the NCAA tournament for the previous three seasons, heading into this year. Last season was Moton’s fourth NCAA tournament appearance, please let’s pause for a moment to keep in mind this is only NC Central’s 9th season as a Division 1 program. When you take a step back and think about this, it is absolutely remarkable what Moton has been able to do in his time.

Now that we have discussed the backstory, and the understanding is clear this IS a program you NEED to pay attention to, let’s go through some talking points about last night’s home-opening win.

Click Here for Levelle Moton Post Game Press Conference:

Final Score:

North Carolina Central – 73
South Carolina Upstate – 64

Career Nights for the Two Seniors

Randy Miller Jr finished with a career-high 19 points and Jibri Blount finished with a career-high 19 rebounds (NINETEEN!!) and 16 points. Let’s start with Miller. What a ridiculously efficient performance it was. 29 points on 6-9 from the field (5-6 3P) and 12-12 from the free-throw line. It was a quiet 29 as he just did everything within the flow of the offense. He shot the ball confidently and with ease, having a weapon such as this will be huge for the program this season. Having guards able to get him the ball, as comfortably as he received it here, will be huge as well.

Only 8 players, in the history of the program, have secured 20 rebounds in a game. Blount set his career-high at 19 in this one. He was a terror, playing very actively on the glass, on both ends. Blount had 5 offensive boards to go with 14 defensive boards. He did a great job ending USC Upstate possessions as well and extending NC Central possessions. To go with the 19 boards, Blount also had a career-high 16 points. A natural forward, he was forced to play a lot of five in this one. He did a good job of playmaking finishing with 3 assists and 2 steals as well. Now a central figure on this team, he will have to clean up his 8 turnovers, but 16 and 19 and a win is a great starting block.

Make no mistake, the seniors Miller and Blount, took absolute control of this game, and that is the way you want it to be, the way Moton likes it.

Ty Graves is the X-Factor

Graves transferred into NC Central from Saint Louis and after sitting out last year, he is ready to come home and make a difference. The redshirt junior has done just that. He is the first player off the bench for the Eagles, where he still plays starters minutes, and he affects the game immediately. Having played at a high level and been around high-level talent, no moment is too big for Graves. This showed in this game, as he made plays when his team needed it the most. Upon entry, Central was down 2, by himself Graves went on an 8 point run and NC Central never looked back.

Graves is a dead-eye shooter (4-6 last night), but he also showcased the ability to initiate and start the offense. Graves finished with 4 assists to only 1 turnover. Graves role will be a vital one this season, as he brings a calming presence with the ball in his hands and can really stretch the floor with his shooting, he played 26 minutes last night, tied for third-most on the team. Look for a big year, a very important one.

Have to Shore Up the Turnovers, but…

North Carolina Central turned the ball over 28 times in this game, while creating only 14 for USC Upstate, this has to get cleaned up in order to make a run at the 4th consecutive NCAA tournament. However, in looking a bit deeper at the box score, you see a lot of positives in this game, which led to a comfortable 9 point win.

**The team shot 9-18 from the 3-point line. 50% as a team, will win you most games. They were led here by Randy Miller 5-6 and Ty Graves 4-6 outputs

**The team outrebounded USC Upstate 45-30. While USC Upstate was able to corral 11 rebounds, NC Central did a good job of ending possessions on the other end, even with no player in the lineup above 6’6”

**The team defense held USC Upstate to 35.4% shooting from the field and 24.1% shooting from 3.