HBCU Sports
  • SECTIONS
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Baseball
    • Softball
    • Volleyball
    • Track & Field
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • Bowling
    • Other Sports
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Features
  • BANDS
  • VIDEOS
  • AWARDS
    • Support the HBCU Sports Awards
    • Donor Wall
  • FORUMS
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • DONATE
  • SHOP
No Result
View All Result
HBCU Sports
  • SECTIONS
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Baseball
    • Softball
    • Volleyball
    • Track & Field
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • Bowling
    • Other Sports
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Features
  • BANDS
  • VIDEOS
  • AWARDS
    • Support the HBCU Sports Awards
    • Donor Wall
  • FORUMS
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • DONATE
  • SHOP
No Result
View All Result
HBCU Sports
No Result
View All Result
Home Basketball

Glass ceilings, lack of respect still exist for HBCU basketball coaches

Chris Stevens by Chris Stevens
March 26, 2023
0
LeVelle Moton, NCCU

Photo: Coachlevellemoton.com

2.2k
VIEWS

North Carolina Central men’s basketball coach LeVelle Moton shared a clip via Twitter Friday that likely said the quiet parts out loud of how some view HBCU athletics and coaches in general.

Field of 68 Media Group had a roundtable discussion where the question was asked why HBCU coaches aren’t sought after for mid-major or Power 5 Division I jobs, and the answers given by agents were appalling.

One representative stated that athletic directors at mid-majors and Power 5s wanted to see more hustle and self-promotion from HBCU coaches, while another chimed in, adding that “they haven’t shown that they’ve wanted to be hired.”

Considering Coach Moton, the dean of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference basketball coaches, is one of the most active personalities on social media and is more than cordial with a who’s who of famous people (R&B hitmakers and hometown friends New Edition chief among them), that might be the most egregious statement I’ve ever heard.

Yet it’s an unfortunate fact of life for HBCU coaches in all sports who wish to move up another level. It’s particularly frustrating that the lone HBCU coach to take a high-level job after taking his team in the NCAA is a white man – Steve Merfeld, who led Hampton to a 15-2 upset over Iowa State in the 2001 NCAA tournament, was hired at Evansville University in 2002. That’s it. That’s the list.

Kenneth Blakeney, Howard
Howard University basketball coach Kenneth Blakeney. Photo: Howard University Athletics

The disrespect that Black College Sports have faced for generations leads to discussions of resources, administrative functioning, alumni support and so on. All of these are important items to list and discuss when the time is right. However, the sinister side of it cannot be ignored. Saying that Black coaches need to self-promote more or show a willingness to be hired by a mid-major/Power 5 is completely out of bounds.

If you don’t think LeVelle Moton, Kenneth Blakeney or Robert Jones wouldn’t be just as successful at an N.C. State, Georgetown or VCU, as they’ve been at North Carolina Central, Howard and Norfolk State, then I encourage you to learn more about and watch more HBCU Basketball than just what has been parroted by talking heads in recent years.

We’re also talking about a sport where young Black athletes are the majority of most teams. The perception that only a white coach is capable of reaching, motivating and developing young Black athletes into top college players is flawed and archaic. The late greats, John Thompson and John Chaney, along with Nolan Richardson, disproved that notion decades ago.

Those of us who are NFL fans know that you can’t shame the shameless. The Rooney Rule has been skirted time and time again by owners/general managers/team executives who know that they just have to interview one minority candidate before hiring the more than likely white candidate that they wanted all along. Loopholes and the Good Ol Boy Network are traditions unlike any other, word to the Masters.

Robert-jones, Norfolk State
Norfolk State head basketball coach Robert Jones. Photo: Norfolk State Athletics

That also leads to this issue – even if things changed to the point where coaches like Moton, Blakeney and Jones started getting mid-major/Power 5 jobs, where does that leave the HBCUs they’ve coached for so long? And why can’t our schools become March darlings like Florida Atlantic, Farleigh Dickinson and so on? “Damned if you do, damned if you don’t,” it seems.

There are answers to these questions and solutions to the problem of HBCU sports being treated as less than by the general population, but the willingness to answer the questions and solve the problems can’t always lay at the feet of the people and institutions that don’t have the power or resources to do so at the moment.

My grandmother always used to say if somebody wanted to do the thing (that’s not the word she used, of course), then the thing would be done. It’s very disingenuous to have a roundtable about what Black coaches are or aren’t doing when you have the power to make sure they’re seen, interviewed and hired.

That’s proof that you don’t want to do the thing, and that’s your choice. Just leave the coaches who are doing the best they can with what they have out of it.

Tags: HowardMEACNorfolk StateNorth Carolina Central
Chris Stevens

Chris Stevens

Chris Stevens, an HBCU Sports contributing writer, is a Delaware State University graduate and sportswriter with 21 years of experience. You can follow him on Twitter at CJWritesNThangs.

Related Posts

HBCU names ex-Duke star Nolan Smith new men’s basketball coach

by Kendrick Marshall
July 18, 2025
0
HBCU names ex-Duke star Nolan Smith new men’s basketball coach

Tennessee State has officially named Nolan Smith its new head men’s basketball coach. The Tigers will hand the reins to a former NCAA national champion, NBA veteran, and...

Read moreDetails

Delaware State locks up basketball coach to contract extension

by Chris Stevens
July 18, 2025
0
On the eve of the MEAC tournament, each head coach explains how their team can win it all

A rising HBCU basketball program plans to keep its coach around for the long haul. Delaware State announced that men's basketball coach Stan Waterman has signed a contract...

Read moreDetails

SWAC Media Day: Long-term plans for conference network revealed

by Chris Stevens
July 16, 2025
0
Charles McClelland

Good things come to those who wait, and in the case of the SWAC, a really good thing has come with the launch of the SWAC TV network....

Read moreDetails

SWAC to launch ‘a gamechanger’ with league-run streaming platform

by HBCU Sports
July 16, 2025
0
SWAC football

The SWAC has taken a significant leap into digital sports broadcasting by announcing an exclusive streaming platform that will start televising all 18 conference-sponsored sports this fall. In...

Read moreDetails

Penny Hardaway assistant, Duke legend in talks to be next Tennessee State coach

by Jarrett Hoffman
July 15, 2025
0
Penny Hardaway assistant, Duke legend in talks to be next Tennessee State coach

Following the departure of their former head coach, the Tennessee State men's basketball program is expected to hire former NCAA champion Nolan Smith as his successor. According to...

Read moreDetails
Next Post
Meet the only HBCU that features a competitive beach volleyball team

Meet the only HBCU that features a competitive beach volleyball team

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe

RSS HBCU Sports Forums

  • Southern puts assistant band director on leave amid probe into death of fraternity pledge
  • SWAC Announces "SWAC TV"
  • The Chi on Showtime (Thread 3)
  • EA Sports
  • Can we 12 PV fans + 5 probationary PV fans have some WIC, Welfare, Stamps, Section 8, something for the sTu game ticket?
  • The 24th thread about Trump
  • Saban whines to Trump about NIL
  • Lighten the Mood XIV
  • TPs Pre-Season Rankings
  • SWAC Announces 2025 Preseason Football Selections

  • TERMS & CONDITIONS
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • COMMENT POLICY
  • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
 CONTACT US

© 2025 RASHAD MEDIA - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PARTNER OF IONE DIGITAL / CASSIUS NETWORK

No Result
View All Result
  • SECTIONS
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Baseball
    • Softball
    • Volleyball
    • Track & Field
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • Bowling
    • Other Sports
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Features
  • BANDS
  • VIDEOS
  • AWARDS
    • Support the HBCU Sports Awards
    • Donor Wall
  • FORUMS
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • DONATE
  • SHOP

© 2025 RASHAD MEDIA - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PARTNER OF IONE DIGITAL / CASSIUS NETWORK

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

No Result
View All Result
  • SECTIONS
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Baseball
    • Softball
    • Volleyball
    • Track & Field
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • Bowling
    • Other Sports
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Features
  • BANDS
  • VIDEOS
  • AWARDS
    • Support the HBCU Sports Awards
    • Donor Wall
  • FORUMS
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • DONATE
  • SHOP

© 2025 RASHAD MEDIA - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PARTNER OF IONE DIGITAL / CASSIUS NETWORK

X