North Carolina Central University Men's Basketball

LeVelle Moton's Website The unlikely friendship between LeVelle Moton and Leah Ward Accomplishments: 2025-26: One All-MEAC Selection 2024-25: One All-MEAC Selection 2023-24: Three All-MEAC Selections 2022-23: Four All-MEAC Selections 2021-22: Two All-MEAC Selections 2020-21: One All-MEAC Selection 2019-20: BOXTOROW All-American and NABC All-District Selection 2019-20: Two All-MEAC Selections (MEAC Player of the Year) 2019-20: MEAC Regular Season Champions (13-3) 2018-19: MEAC Tournament Champions 2018-19: MEAC Tournament (Most Outstanding Coach) 2018-19: One All-MEAC Selection 2017-18: MEAC Tournament Champions 2017-18: MEAC Tournament (Most Outstanding Coach) 2017-18: Three All-MEAC Selections 2016-17: NABC District 15 Coach of the Year 2016-17: BoxToRow.com HBCU National Co-Coach of the Year 2016-17: MEAC Coach of the Year 2016-17: Finalist Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year Award (Top Mid-Major Coach) 2016-17: Finalist Ben Jobe National Coach of the Year Award (Top Minority Coach) 2016-17: MEAC Tournament Champions 2016-17: MEAC Tournament (Most Outstanding Coach) 2016-17: MEAC Regular Season Champions (13-3) 2016-17: Two All-MEAC Selections (Player of the Year) 2015-16: One All-MEAC Selection 2014-15:  NABC District 15 Coach of the Year 2014-15:  Finalist Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year Award (Top Mid-Major Coach) 2014-15:  Finalist Ben Jobe National Coach of the Year Award (Top Minority Coach) 2014-15:  MEAC Regular Season Champions (16-0) 2014-15:  Five All-MEAC Selections 2014-15:  Third consecutive 20-win season (25-8) 2013-14:  Tied School record for single-season wins (28) 2013-14:  Set MEAC Record for wins in a season (28) 2013-14:  Finalist Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year Award (Top Mid-Major Coach) 2013-14:  Finalist Ben Jobe National Coach of the Year Award (Top Minority Coach) 2013-14:  BoxToRow.com HBCU National Coach of the Year 2013-14:  CollegeInsider.com (MEAC Coach of the Year) 2013-14: MEAC Tournament Champions 2013-14: MEAC Tournament (Most Outstanding Coach) 2013-14: MEAC Coach of the Year 2013-14: MEAC Regular Season Champions (15-1) 2013-14: Two All-MEAC Selections (Player of the Year) 2013-14: Back-to-Back 20-win seasons (25-5) 2012-13: First 20-win season since 1996-97 (22-9) 2012-13: Three All-MEAC Selections 2012-13: CollegeInsider.com MEAC Co-Coach of the Year 2012-13: Finalist Ben Jobe National Coach of the Year Award (Top Minority Coach) 2012-13: Finalist Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year Award (Top Mid-Major Coach) 2011-12: First winning season since 2004-05 (17-15) 2011-12: Two All-MEAC Selections 2010-11: NCAA Division I Independent Coach of the Year On March 25, 2009, arguably one of the greatest players in school history was elevated from Assistant Coach to the position of Head Coach, becoming the 17th to be named in that spot in the program's history. During the 2023-24 season, Moton became the all-time winningest coach in the history of NCCU men's basketball. He earned his 252nd victory on December 15, 2023 at home against St. Andrews University passing Floyd Brown. Moton joined elite company during the 2021-22 season when he won his 200th game on Dec. 9, 2021 against Carver, and he is now the third coach in program history to reach that plateau along with Floyd Brown (251 wins), and John McLendon (239 wins). Although the 2019-20 season was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic, the Eagles were still able to capture a fourth MEAC regular season title with a 13-3 mark in league play, and an 18-13 overall record.  Jibri Blount had a phenomenal season to become the third Eagle to be named MEAC Player of the Year in the Division I era, and also earned BOXTOROW First Team All-American, and NABC Second Team All-District honors.  Defense once again powered the Eagles, as they held opponents to 65.7 points per game, and led the MEAC in steals with 8.6 per contest. In 2019, the Eagles accomplished something that had not been done before in school history as it clenched a third-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance by winning the MEAC Tournament for a third-straight year.  Moton was named Most Outstanding Coach of the tournament as the Eagles took down both top seeds of Norfolk State and North Carolina A&T on the way to the title.  The Eagles achieved another top-three regular season finish and stayed true to their defensive principles as they finished second in the league by holding opponents to just 67.4 points per game and had a positive scoring margin of 4.8 points per game.  They also led the league by holding opponents to just 30.7 rebounds per game and outrebounded the opposition by 6.6 boards per contest. In 2018, the Eagles caught fire in Norfolk and went on a run to win back-to-back MEAC Tournament championships for the first time in program history, earning consecutive berths into the NCAA Tournament for the first time as well.  Moton was named MEAC Tournament Most Outstanding Coach as the Eagles won four games in six days, winning the conference tourney for the first time as a six-seed.  NCCU again topped the MEAC defensively, allowing just 65.1 points per game, 33.3 rebounds per game, and 41.7 percent of field goal attempts.  During the 2016-17 season Moton led the Eagles to a 25-9 overall record and a 13-3 MEAC mark, and he joined rare company with John B. McLendon as the only coaches with four 20-win seasons at NCCU.  NCCU captured its third MEAC regular-season championship and second MEAC Tournament championship within a four-year span to make its second Division-I NCAA Tournament appearance.  The Eagles also made history with their first win over an SEC opponent with a wire-to-wire 62-52 win at Missouri.  NCCU went on a 13-game win streak during conference play, the second-longest win streak in the Division-I era.  The Eagles continued to pride itself on defense by being second in the nation in three-point defense, allowing just 29.0 percent made attempts. NCCU was also top-10 in field goal percentage defense (39.1), top-25 in scoring defense (63.4 points per game) and top-15 in scoring margin (11.7 points per game). Close to 25 years after the magical run of the 1989 NCAA Division II National Championship team, and just 10 days shy of the fifth anniversary of the day of his official hiring, NCCU soared to its first MEAC Tournament Championship on March 15, 2014 following its 71-62 victory over Morgan State in front of a near-capacity crowd inside the Norfolk Scope Arena.  The 2013-14 Eagles tied a school record in wins (28), won the most games in a season for any squad in MEAC history, and was the lowest seed for any league champion in the NCAA Tournament as the maroon and gray earned a 14-seed in the East Region.  Moton’s squad finished 15-1 in conference play earning the school’s first Division I regular season title and won 20 straight contests, which set a new NCAA Division I level record for the program.  With the rings of a champion came the accolades as Moton earned MEAC Coach of the Year honors, MEAC Tournament’s Most Outstanding Coach award, and was named the BoxtoRow.com HBCU National Coach of the Year, while earning finalist spots in the Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year Award (Top-Mid-Major Coach), and the Top Minority Coach honor, the Ben Jobe National Coach of the Year Award. The following year, his sixth season as head coach at NCCU, Moton guided the 2014-15 Eagles to a 25-8 overall record, including a 19-3 mark during the final three-and-a-half months, as well as the school's first appearance in the National Invitation Tournament. The 2014-15 squad made history by becoming the first men's basketball team in school history to post an unbeaten regular-season conference record at 16-0 to repeat as MEAC regular-season champions. The Eagles were among the top five defenses in Division I, ranking second in field goal percentage defense (behind Kentucky), fourth in three-point field goal percentage defense and fifth in scoring defense. NCCU completed the campaign by extending the second-longest home win streak in Division I at 35 victories in-a-row (behind Arizona).  Moton joined hall of fame coach John McLendon and national championship coach Michael Bernard as the only coaches in NCCU men's basketball history to lead the Eagles to three straight 20-win seasons. As a credit to the program's recent success, NCCU boasts the best regular-season conference record during the last three seasons at 46-2, a winning percentage of .958. The maroon and gray’s second season in the MEAC, Moton’s fourth, was the coming out party for the program. For the first time at the NCAA Division I level, the Eagles won 20 games finishing the year 22-9, and went 15-1 in conference play to earn the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. In fact, the program experienced only two losses in the calendar year of 2013. The 22 victories were the most since his freshman year of 1992-93 when NCCU finished 26-4. The 11-game winning streak was the longest since the 1995-96 campaign when NCCU won 16-in-a-row. Moton earned national praise by being named a finalist for the Ben Jobe National Coach of the Year Award, and the Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year of Award, along with Co-Coach of the Year in the MEAC by CollegeInsider.com. In his third season in charge of the North Carolina Central University basketball program, Moton took his team to a place not since seen since the 2004-05 season when the Eagles finished with a winning record (17-15) and were seeded fifth in their first MEAC Tournament at the Division I level. Of the 215 schools that have reclassified to the NCAA Division I level, NCCU was one of 38 schools across the nation who finished their first official season with 17 wins or more. That puts the Eagles in the same company as (Air Force-1958, VCU-1974, Weber State-1964, George Mason-1979, UNLV-1970, James Madison-1977, and Northwestern State (La.)-1997) who also recorded 17 wins in its inaugural campaign. His second year at the helm his squad showed the Eagle Nation how bright the future was as his squad racked up 15 wins and recorded the first non-losing season in nearly six years. His record against MEAC opponents during the regular season was 10-5 which would have placed the maroon and gray as the number two seed in the league tournament. He earned NCAA Division I Independent Coach of the Year honors. Year No. 1 was certainly a challenging one for Moton, but the program took numerous steps in the right direction. During the 2009-10 campaign, Moton led NCCU to its first winning record at home (7-4), it’s first Division I winning streak (three games), and gave numerous big-time opponents trouble throughout the season, but the second year head coach is nowhere near satisfied. The Eagles finished 7-22, which included wins against soon-to-be conference foes Maryland Eastern Shore and Savannah State. The seven victories represented the most since making the move to Division I. He initially returned to his alma mater as assistant men's basketball coach in July 2007. The NCCU Athletics 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 Athletics 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), fifth in free throws made (363 of 467), eighth in assists (278), eighth in field goals made (569 of 1,159), 12th in scoring average (16.6 points per game), and 15th in steals (110). As a junior (1994-95), he topped the CIAA and was No. 16 in NCAA Division II in scoring with an average of 23.5 points per game. His 87 made three-point field goals that year broke 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. During his NCCU playing career, his teams racked up an 80-28 record, which included three 20-wins seasons. 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. In December of 2013, Moton received his Master’s degree in Special Education with a focus on Learning Disabilities. Moton and his wife, Bridget, married on June 28, 2008. They have two children Brooke and LeVelle Jr.

Reggie Sharp joins NCCU from Jacksonville State University after spending five seasons as an assistant coach from 2011-16.  While with the Gamecocks, Sharp worked to coordinate individual workouts for the team and ensured compliance with the university, conference and NCAA.  He also worked in the preparation of the analysis of opponents, game statistics and tactical data of opposing teams.    Just like D’Alessio, Sharp has crossed paths with NCCU before as the associate head coach at Florida A&M University from 2007-11.  While there he worked in a similar capacity as he did at Jackson State, including assigning geographical areas for the recruitment of new student-athletes.   From 2005-07 Sharp was an assistant coach with Mississippi Valley State University, and also spent one season with Conners State College from 2004-05.  Sharp began his coaching career as an administrative assistant at Auburn University from 2000-04, where he operated as a video coordinator and also helped to develop individual student-athletes.   Sharp is a graduate of Auburn University, where he was named team captain during his senior year.  

Nigel Thomas joined North Carolina Central University in 2019 after five years at North Carolina Wesleyan as an assistant coach.  The Battling Bishops were highly successful while he was there, as they captured three USA South Conference regular-season championships in 2016, 2018, and 2019.  He also led Wesleyan's SAAC and Community Service efforts. Prior to coaching at NC Wesleyan, Thomas coached three seasons at his alma mater of Langston University, and helped lead a turnaround that resulted in three consecutive Red River Conference Tournament appearances.  Off the court, the Lions achieved a cumulative team grade point average of 3.0 in each semester of his three years as head coach. Thomas started his coaching career at Prairie State College, serving as an assistant coach for five seasons, beginning in 2003.  With the Pioneers, he functioned as the program’s recruiting coordinator, and developed a skill instruction program. Additionally, he has worked with some of the top coaches in the NCAA, including University of St. Louis Head Men's Basketball Coach Travis Ford and Duke Head Men's Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski. Thomas has also recently worked camps at Virginia Tech University (Buzz Williams- Head Coach), North Carolina State University and Winthrop University (S.C.). In addition, Thomas has helped with the Paul Biancardi Skills Camp as well as the John Wall and Kevin Durant Camps. Thomas played collegiately for four seasons as a point guard at Langston from 1999-2003. Thomas earned his B.A. in Health, Physical Education and Recreation from Langston in 2003 and is a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, Black Coaches Association and is the co-founder of the Elite Skills Basketball Academy, which was established in Park Forest, Ill. in May of 2008.  He is also a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. Thomas and his wife Carrie have three daughters: Jaidyn, Jazelle, and Jurnee.  

No stranger to the Nest, Wes Pifer, rejoins the North Carolina Central men’s basketball staff as an assistant coach ahead of the 2025-26 season. Pifer spent three seasons at NCCU previously, from 2010-13 on head coach LeVelle Moton’s staff. Pifer led as head coach at Western Oregon University for six years prior to his return. His tenure was highlighted by a 19-8 record during the 2019-20 season, finishing second in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Western Oregon ranked in the top-25 nationally in Division II in six categories, including first in free-throw percentage (86.2) in Pifer’s first season. Prior to his time in Monmouth, Ore., Pifer was on staff at Northern Arizona University from 2013-19, serving as the associate head coach in his final season. Pifer helped NAU to a school-record 23 wins in 2014-15. The Lumberjacks also won in the classroom, boasting a 97 percent graduation rate during Pifer’s tenure. Before heading to the West Coast, Pifer was on staff at North Carolina Central. In his first stint with the Eagles, Pifer helped NCCU to three winning seasons and oversaw the development of three All-MEAC First Team selections. Pifer was also an assistant at St. Andrews University before coaching the Maroon & Gray. With the Knights, he was the recruiting coordinator and head coach of the junior varsity men’s basketball team.    Miami Dade College was where Pifer made his collegiate coaching debut during the 2008-09 season. While there, Miami Dade was ranked No.7 in the National Junior College Athletic Association, recording a school-record 30 victories. Pifer helped multiple players move up to the Division I level. Pifer played at Methodist University (2000-02) and Penn State-Altoona (2002-04). While at PSU-Altoona, Pifer averaged 9.1 points, 5.9 assists and 4.3 rebounds a game under former NBA player and then-coach, Armen Gilliam. The Creedmoor, N.C. native would become an assistant coach at his alma mater South Granville High School in 2004-05, before heading overseas to play professionally with BBG Herford in the Germany 2 Regionalliga. After averaging 12.2 points and leading the league in assists, Pifer returned to PSU-Altoona to earn his bachelor’s degree in 2007. Pifer and his wife, Darcy, have been married since 2014 and have two children, Jayden Paul and Hayley.

Robert Burlingham is entering his first season at NCCU with Coach LeVelle Moton as Director of Basketball Operations. He spent the previous two seasons on the staff at Middle Tennessee State University as Assistant Coach/Director of Operations and also spent time at McNeese State University under head coach John Aiken as the Director of Basketball Operations. With the Blue Raiders, Burlingham conducted defensive scouting reports and film edits, coordinated and ran summer camps, supervised the support staff, organized team travel logistics as well as overall team development at practices. Additionally, he assisted the staff with on-court workouts and assisted with recruiting student-athletes. Burlingham assisted with the development of CUSA All-Conference members: Jestin Porter, Cam Weston, Essam Mostafa, Torey Alston, Chris Loofe, Jared Coleman-Jones and Elias King. Additionally, the Blue Raiders captured a 2025 NIT berth against UT Chattanooga during Burlingham’s tenure. During Burlingham’s time at McNeese, the Cowboys made program history in back-to-back postseasons with a win in the Southland Conference Tournament in 2021-22 against Northwestern State and with two wins against Texas A&M Commerce & Nicholls State in 2022-23. Burlingham oversaw graduate assistants/managers, all team travel logistics, oversaw and monitored the team budget, aided with McNeese compliance and student services to oversee all student-athlete academic progress, and was the camp director for the John Aiken Basketball Camp. Burlingham aided with the growth of guard Johnathan Massie, who captured Southland Freshman of the Year in 2021-22, while forward Christian Shumate garnered Third Team All-Southland recognition in the same season and was named Second Team All-Conference in 2022-23. Shumate is now a member of the New Orleans Pelicans. Before McNeese, Burlingham worked as a graduate assistant at Central Michigan during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. He worked for 2008 AP Coach of the Year Keno Davis, assisting with player development, conducting scouting reports, assisting with academic advising, and overseeing Adidas gear inventory. During the 2019-20 season, the Chippewas ranked first in the Mid-American Conference and 21st nationally in steals per game (9.1). He also oversaw student managers and aided with the player development of David DiLeo, who is the MAC all-time leading three-point scorer, as well as CMU's all-time leading three-point shooter. Prior to CMU, Burlingham served as an assistant coach at West Virginia Tech following a stint as an assistant coach at Carolina Day School for both the varsity and junior varsity boys teams. It was at WVU Tech during the 2018-19 season where he was the top assistant and helped guide the Golden Bears to a program record best 30-5 record, River States Conference regular season and conference tournament champions, and advancement to the NAIA National Tournament second round, the furthest any WVU Tech team has even advanced. Under Burlingham’s development with head coach Bob Williams, the Golden Bears had three All-Conference players named in the River States Conference during the 2018-2019 season. With Burlingham coaching the guards, Elisha Boone was also named on the 2018-2019 NAIA First Team All American roster while guard Brandon Shingles received NAIA All American Honorable Mention honors. Burlingham also helped oversee and focused on the Golden Bear's offense which finished the 2018-2019 season ranking second in points per game (94.8), third in assists per game (18.1), third in 3-point field goal percentage (41.9%), and seventh in Offensive Rebounds Per Game (13.5). After the 2016 season, Burlingham returned to the UNC Asheville staff as Assistant Director of Basketball Operations from spring until the end of the summer where he assisted with the daily functions of the program, coordinated and ran the UNC Asheville Kids Camp, Team Camp and Elite Camp, assisted with player workouts over the summer, assisted with travel reservations and logistics and organized film. Prior to his return to UNC Asheville, Burlingham worked at Western Carolina University, where he worked under Ohio Hall of Fame Coach Larry Hunter as the head student manager (2014-16). He assisted with workouts and statistics during game play, worked with film and handled the distribution of film to opponents and the Southern Conference, assisted the director of operations with functions of the program and assisted with travel logistics. Burlingham began his coaching career as a student manager at UNC Asheville (2013-14) where he was in charge of film and day-to-day functions of the program while also assisting with player workouts, basketball operations and team inventory. A native of Asheville, North Carolina, he earned his B.S. in Business Administration from Western Carolina in 2016 and his M.S. in Administration from Central Michigan in 2021. Burlingham is also a member of the Nations of Coaches as well as the Black Coaches Association.