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NCAA MEN'S FIRST FOUR: DAYTON

March 14, 2017

LeVelle Moton

Dayton, Ohio

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by the head coach of North Carolina Central, LeVelle Moton.

COACH MOTON: Good morning. We're happy to be here. We're proud to represent North Carolina Central in March Madness, 2017 edition. And I'll just take some questions from you guys. I know you have a couple, so I'll answer whatever you need to ask.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach.

Q. Last time you guys went to San Antonio, I remember you said you couldn't enjoy it, take it in because of what happened with your son a couple years ago. This time I saw you on the floor taking pictures, he's right there with you. Talk about the experience between this time and that time because you can take it in and enjoy it and focus more on it?
COACH MOTON: Last time, it was really -- I can't even find the adjective to describe it. On Saturday night, you win a championship. On Sunday night you have championship Selection Sunday. On Tuesday you're scheduled to leave, but on Monday you get news that your child is now in the hospital because he got second degree burns because he spilled coffee on himself.

And I just remember going to my wife, and I called the chancellor and I said -- it was a weird situation, because professionally I was at the height of my career, but personally I was at the lowest point -- and I called my chancellor and I said I'm not going. She was, like, what's going on. And I told her about my son. She said if you don't want to go we support you because family is always first around here.

And I just made the decision not to go. And my wife, she's out there as well, I saw the disappointment in her face and she grabbed my hand and she said, you teach those kids to be tough and resilient. So now it's your turn to actually walk the walk that you always talk.

So she said you go out there, try and win a game and me and V.J. will always stay here. I've always felt guilty about that. In 2014, this is really my first time because I don't even remember anything from that weekend. I don't remember no plays from the game. I don't remember anything.

I just felt some guilt as a father saying I'm coaching a basketball game, my son is in the hospital. As a husband, I felt like I underachieved because my wife, she had supported me when I was a middle school basketball coach.

So it was 20 people in the gymnasium. So now when you ascend to a certain level of March Madness, you would like to share that moment with her and I couldn't do that.

So in large part I always wanted to get back here for a bit of a selfish reason just to be able to bring them, have them experience. And I'm laying in a hotel last night and he is just running around a thousand miles an hour. I can't get no sleep, and I'm, like, man, why did I bring you out here (laughter). So it's back, man. But I have him here. And it's really a blessing.

Q. You're used to this quick turnaround now, but just talk about what you've been able to do to prepare for UC Davis and what your thoughts are on for the Aggies tomorrow?
COACH MOTON: At this junction it's really tough for the turnaround time as you mentioned. We got back on Sunday night and then they announced who we're going to play and where we're going to play.

And then once they announce, you know it's a good team but you just don't know who you're playing, and you gotta ramble and scramble and find tape and make some phone calls to some friends that you trust in the business about them.

But then you have to actually fend for yourself and it's almost like a spitting image of us on the defensive end. They're really good, well disciplined and well coached. And we're going to have to be on point.

They won 22 games, and they finished second in their league and won their tournament. At in this junction in the season we respect them, and we know they're coming in here to win a basketball game as well as us.

Q. I know you said you don't remember too much about that weekend in San Antonio, but you have been there, even if you don't remember it. But you have the experience of game planning and playing in front of big crowds. How much have you talked to your team about that experience, and how much do you think it's going to make you a better coach this time because you've been there before and done it?
COACH MOTON: I think what really makes them better is our nonconference schedule. That's why we try to play a challenging one because we've been to those venues. We've been in Ohio State. We've been in Marshall. We've been in LSU. We've been in Missouri. We've been in the MEAC Tournament. We have the pressure of maintaining a one-game lead in the tournament in the MEAC to win the season. We have the pressure of dismissing all of that and having to depend on just 72 hours for your season to continue.

So I don't know if it makes me a better coach. The one thing I just tell them to try to make them better basketball players is everyone loves March Madness but let's not get it twisted. I'm from humble beginnings. I know what pressure is.

Pressure is walking outside of your home every single day having to make a life or death decision to go back in and pressure is your mother struggling to keep the lights on and having a hot meal on the table. That's pressure. This is sports and entertainment. So treat it as such and go out and play extremely hard.

Q. You do have a couple of guys with NCAA Tournament experience with Dajuan and Ron Trapps, who has been to two tournaments. How much do you the see guys leaning on them or asking them questions, or how much information are they giving to the rest of the team about this whole experience?
COACH MOTON: All they could give was the police escorts and the planes. That's all they could give. It's great that you mentioned that because neither one of those guys were prominent figures on that team.

It's kind of different with the roles they've ascended to and responsibilities they ascended to. They played on the teams, but they were more like the John Salleys of the Chicago Bulls, and they were back there reaping the benefits of Scottie and Michael. Now they're Scottie and Michael.

And they had a team meeting the other night and I was in for a minute and then I heard them talk about what color socks we were wearing. And I walked straight out. I can't listen to that stuff.

Ain't no telling what they were talking about afterwards. But I fully entrust that they'll bring a level of maturity and knowledge and wisdom and allow it to permeate down the line to our guys.

Q. It must make you feel pretty good, though, that you have a veteran experienced team, even if it's not tournament experience.
COACH MOTON: Yeah. Absolutely. That's how we try to recruit. We changed our format of recruiting. And we need some experience out here, because everyone else is going to get one-and-dones, and when that experience meet those one-and-dones we think that's kind of the great equalizer beyond the talent.

I think that's gotten us out of a couple of venues and kept us in a couple of games and kept us from cracking during pivotal times is the experience.

A wise man told me that experience is the best teacher you'll ever have in your life, and I definitely concur with that statement.

Q. A lot of guys on your roster they got to play in their home state, go travel to their home state. This is Kyle's first time at Central, playing a team from California. Kyle is a pretty laid-back guy, but have you seen a pep in his step, a little more juice the past couple of days knowing he's playing against a California team?
COACH MOTON: I haven't. I don't know what gets that boy going, a 5-Hour Energy drink. I don't know what it is. He's just constantly laid back. He's a Cali kid. You have different Cali kids, but I think he was the surfboard Cali kid who loves to catch a wave and all that type stuff. He's really laid back in his demeanor.

However, he's played with a high motor and high activity on both ends of the floor. And that's going to be really needed against their front line, because they're probably one of the most active groups that we've seen this year.

Q. Kind of off the mark a little bit, but I was talking to you there about it, when you was a kid weren't you going to be like a musician or boy band or something like that? And did you have some moves and could sing? Or would that have been a bad career move?
COACH MOTON: It was New Edition. I'm from the -- I was born in the same housing project as New Edition. I don't know if any of you guys are familiar with them. But it's interesting for us to all come from nothing and they were five or six years older.

And to see them eventually have the number one song in the world bypassing and knocking a guy by the name of Michael Jackson and "Beat It" off the charts, it was -- now in hindsight it was bananas, but we didn't know they had the No. 1 song in the nation at that time because there was nothing to justify it. We didn't have cable TV. We didn't have Internet. We were kids, so we really didn't listen to the radio.

And they couldn't convince us that they were superstars because we all lived in the project. So superstars don't live down here, so it was whatever.

It wasn't until I moved to Raleigh, North Carolina that I realized the magnitude of who they were. And all the girls in my elementary class were screaming about them, and I told the girls, hey, I know them. They was like, yeah, right. So I knew I didn't have a chance then. For them to have a movie and all that, they really inspired me.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

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