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Lavelle Moten Says NIL Has Changed NCCU Basketball’s Fight
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North Carolina Central coach Lavelle Moten is turning his annual tip-off banquet into a critical fundraising push as NIL money reshapes HBCU basketball recruiting.
North Carolina Central men’s basketball coach Lavelle Moten says the NIL era has fundamentally changed what it takes to keep an HBCU program competitive. The work is no longer limited to developing players, building a schedule and coaching games. It now requires raising money at a level that can keep pace with rivals whose NIL resources have turned roster building into a direct financial contest.
That reality is behind NCCU’s upcoming basketball tip-off banquet, which Moten has recast as an urgent fundraiser rather than simply a fan event. With Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin set to serve as keynote speaker, the gathering represents more than a notable appearance: it is a push to help the Eagles navigate a college sports economy Moten believes has become increasingly transactional.
A Fan Event Becomes a Financial Necessity
Moten said the annual NCCU tip-off banquet was once designed primarily to introduce the team to supporters and create energy before the season. Previous events featured prominent basketball figures including Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, Kevin Keatts and Grant Hill. But the arrival of NIL has raised the stakes beyond celebration, forcing the program to use the event as a vehicle for generating the money required to compete.
The coach’s message to the Eagles community is direct: attendance and encouragement still matter, but they are no longer enough on their own. NCCU needs donations, table purchases and committed boosters. In Moten’s view, the new environment has made fundraising a core part of the job, placing a coach in the position of general manager and revenue generator as much as teacher, recruiter and tactician.
The NIL Gap Is Reshaping the MEAC
Moten explained NIL as name, image and likeness, while also arguing that the system has rapidly evolved into pay-for-play. He questioned how often athletes are truly being compensated for traditional marketing uses of their name or image, saying the practical effect is that schools are paying for players. That shift, he said, has changed the financial baseline for programs seeking to retain and attract talent.
At NCCU, Moten said an earlier goal was simply funding 13 full scholarships. Now, he said teams in the league such as Norfolk State and Howard may have roughly $700,000 in NIL resources available, while NCCU does not have comparable money. His point was not that basketball has stopped being about coaching or culture. It was that the ability to build a roster is increasingly tied to the size and commitment of a school’s donor base.
The consequence is especially sharp for schools built on community pride and relationships. Moten said the schools with the richest boosters hold a major advantage, comparing the potential impact of ultra-wealthy alumni support to a program’s ability to chase championships. The comparison underscores the challenge for NCCU: sustaining competitive basketball now requires the same organized financial ambition that fans traditionally associate with major-conference programs.
Mike Tomlin Brings More Than Star Power
Tomlin’s involvement is meaningful because his relationship with Moten extends well beyond a guest appearance. Moten said John Calipari introduced the two after telling Tomlin that they shared a similar spirit. Their connection grew from there into friendship and brotherhood, rooted in shared backgrounds, similar family circumstances and a common understanding of what it means to lead as Black head coaches in spaces where few have held those positions.
Moten said Tomlin, a Newport News, Virginia, native, understood the isolation that can accompany becoming an anomaly in a profession. Moten noted that influential basketball figures such as John Chaney, John Thompson and George Raveling supported Tomlin early in his leadership journey. He believes Tomlin has extended that same kind of spiritual and professional support to him, making his role at the banquet a reflection of mentorship rather than a simple celebrity booking.
That dimension matters for an HBCU program asking its community to invest. Tomlin’s presence brings attention, but it also reinforces Moten’s larger argument that relationships and shared responsibility remain central to college athletics. NCCU is not merely trying to buy its way into relevance; it is trying to preserve its ability to build young men and maintain a program identity while operating in a marketplace that often rewards cash first.
Moten’s Culture Still Starts at Home
Moten does not present money as the only measure of a healthy program. He described regularly bringing his players into his home, where they can see him as a husband, father and person beyond the intensity of practice. He said becoming a father and husband made him a better coach because it gave him a deeper understanding of accountability, care and the need for young players to see leadership in a fuller context.
For Moten, inviting a team into his home creates trust and demonstrates that coaching is not just a two-hour practice relationship. Players see how he treats his family, how his household functions and how seriously he takes their place in the program. That kind of connection cannot be replaced by an NIL package, even if NIL dollars are now necessary to keep a roster together.
What It Means
Moten’s appeal is not an argument against athletes earning money. His concern is that a system led by financial transactions can crowd out the relationships, lessons and long-term bonds that college sports are supposed to provide. He believes young people risk missing experiences that money cannot buy when every decision begins and ends with a price.
The NCCU tip-off banquet is therefore a test of collective support as much as a preseason event. If the Eagles want to remain competitive in the NIL era, Moten is asking the community to treat investment as part of the program’s future. The mission is to fund basketball, certainly, but also to protect a culture of mentorship, family and opportunity that has long defined North Carolina Central.
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