Next Up Coaches Conference aimed at helping minority coaches advance in sports careers

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- North Carolina Central men's basketball coach LeVelle Moton and Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin hosted the first Next Up Coaches Conference in Raleigh on Friday, inviting coaches, administrators, and hiring firms to share insight and guidance on how to advance in the profession.

"It's not only a social responsibility for us, it's a moral obligation. Someone helped us along the way. People ask me all the time why do I do so much, and the answer is simple. Because so much was done for me," said Moton, who is the longest-tenured Division I men's basketball coach at a Historically Black College and University.

Moton credited Tomlin's success with the Steelers, namely the team's Super Bowl XLIII victory in 2009, in helping land his job at NC Central. The men did not know each other personally at the time, though were connected through then-University of Kentucky coach John Calipari, who is from the Pittsburgh area.

Tomlin invited Moton to Pittsburgh to observe Steelers practice, and the two have become close friends and leaders in the coaching profession during the past 13 years.

They came up with the idea for the conference to boost opportunities and advancement potential for ethnic minorities in coaching and front-office roles.

"We're talking about people who work in spaces that are looking at opportunities to impact young people, instruct them in a specific area. But also knows that it goes beyond that specific area. We need to be inclusive in that thinking," said Tomlin.

A 2021 report from The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida found that just 9% of Division 1 coaches were Black, with even smaller percentages at lower levels. In D-1 men's basketball, where more than half the players are Black, fewer than 1/4 of the coaches are Black.

"I think it's incredibly important for not only kids but just everyone to see coaches on this level reach back, pull back and try to get the next generation of young coaches to this level," said Moton.

Panelists at the conference highlighted ways to stand out in interviews, and opportunities to foster connections.

"People of color, Blacks and minorities, we tend to think we have to code switch to fit in. We tend to think that we have to be a particular way or be a certain way to appease the crowd that's in the room. And I'm just a firm believer in being yourself," said Moton.

Though this conference largely focused on opportunities at higher levels of the sport, the importance of representation is happening across athletics, including amongst youth activities.

"I had some great mentors when I was growing up," said Theophilus Jones, who like Moton grew up in southeast Raleigh.

Jones, whose mother died at a young age, was raised by his grandmother in the Kingwood Forest neighborhood. As an adult, he noticed a void in mentorship in the community and wanted to give back.

"I needed that football coach that took interest in me. Other than just football, he would check on me after work. He would give me rides home," Jones said about growing up.

A few years ago, he created Southeast Raleigh Panthers, which offers extracurricular activities and organized athletics for children. Starting with 17 youngsters, the program has now grown to more than 200.

"People poured into me so I could pour into others, pour into the kids," said Jones. "Now when a young man or a young woman approaches me with some situations or issue or a feeling, I've probably had those too. I can relate to them. I know how you feel, and maybe I try to help try to help them to get to a resolution that's less confrontational and more educational."

Jones said he's surprised by the rapid growth, though the interest confirms the importance of mentorship.

"It's overwhelming almost, but I love it," Jones said. "It shows that we're doing something right in the community, that they want to be a part of what we're doing, and that's who we do it for."