Groundbreaking season pays off for NCCU’s Moton

Aug. 09--DURHAM -- A raise for N.C. Central basketball coach LeVelle Moton would seem to put to rest rumors and even real talk about him possibly not returning for the upcoming season.

That said, NCCU athletics director Ingrid Wicker-McCree has not announced that Moton definitely is locked in for at least the upcoming season, although she has said that her desire is to retain him.

Moton entered last season earning a base salary of $158,200 a year on a deal that was good through April 1, 2018. The deal now runs through March 31, 2022.

Then Moton got NCCU into the NCAA Tournament for the first time on the the Division I level, and not long after the Eagles were beaten by Iowa State in their inaugural game in the Big Dance came chatter about him being in the running to take over basketball programs at Florida Atlantic and Marshall universities.

NCCU bowed out of the Big Dance at AT&T Center in San Antonio on March 21. Speculation about Moton moving on from his alma mater lingered well into April and beyond, but he and NCCU officials already had come to terms.

On April 1, Moton signed a four-year contract extension that has him earning a base salary of $250,000 a year, a $91,800 raise.

The contract has plenty of incentives that would reward not only Moton but also his assistant coaches for jobs well done:

-- Another trip to the NCAA Tournament would allow Moton to net an extra $21,000 every time the Eagles advance to the next round. His assistant coaches would get $2,500 per round.

-- If NCCU plays in the National Invitation Tournament, Moton would earn an extra $10,000 just for getting the Eagles there, and he'd get $8,000 per round thereafter. An NIT berth would earn each of Moton's assistant coaches an extra $1,500, and they'd each get $1,500 per round thereafter. Moton and his assistant coaches would receive less money for playing in lower-profile postseason tournaments, but those additional games still would mean extra money.

-- NCCU is the reigning Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion, both of the league's regular season and tournament. For the next four seasons, Moton gets an extra $7,500 if NCCU wins at least a share of the regular-season title in the MEAC. A MEAC Tournament title, which guarantees an NCAA Tournament berth, would put an additional $15,000 in Moton's bank account, and his assistant coaches each would receive an extra $3,500.

-- If NCCU has another 20-win season like its past 28-6 run, that's an extra $4,000 for Moton, and another $1,500 for each of his assistant coaches.

-- Moton is the reigning coach of the year in the MEAC. He got some hardware for that at the MEAC Tournament. If he earns that distinction this season, he'd get that plaque from the league plus an extra $3,000 from NCCU.

-- If NCCU's basketball players get the job done in the classroom to the point that their annual cumulative grade-point average is 3.0 or better and if the team's NCAA multi-year academic progress rate is 950 or better, then Moton would get an extra $4,500, and each of his assistants would pocket another $1,000.

-- Moton gets an extra $1,000 every time an NCCU basketball player earns an undergraduate degree within five years.

Moton's new deal also has NCCU footing the bill on a car for him to drive in order to do his job, as well as the accompanying insurance. The coach would have to keep the oil changed and tires rotated, though.

___

(c)2014 The Herald-Sun (Durham, N.C.)

Visit The Herald-Sun (Durham, N.C.) at www.heraldsun.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services