Triangle Tip-Off showcases potential rising star in coaching ranks

Boy, a few days of flu-like symptoms and a sick toddler can make you feel as though the world is passing you by. But I'm feeling much better today and ready to catch up on all fronts.

I was shocked to see Beddingfield bow out in the second round of the state 2-A volleyball playoffs. The Bruins ran into a tough Swansboro team but I thought they might have gone a little deeper. The anticipated third meeting between the Bruins and their Eastern Plains Conference archrival Farmville Central fizzled as the Jaguars fell to Elizabeth City Northeastern in the second round.

But there will be a third-round playoff meeting of conference rivals as Fike heads to Rocky Mount in Tuesday's state 3-A girls dual-team tennis quarterfinals match.

Moving outside the area and high school sports scene, I had a spy (really a personal stringer in former Hunt baseball teammate and current Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau V.P. of Sports Marketing Scott Dupree) at the Triangle Tip-Off Luncheon today at the Durham Sheraton Imperial Hotel featuring the men's basketball coaches from North Carolina, Duke, N.C. State and N.C. Central.

Despite having two hall-of-fame coaches there, the star of the show turned out to be Central's LeVelle Moton, who finished his playing career at the school as its third all-time leading scorer. Moton was the head coach at Raleigh Sanderson High School before joining the NCCU staff in 2007.

Moton, a member of N.C. Central Athletic Hall of Fame, kept them in stitches with a series of one-liners. He reportedly is the cousin of former North Carolina star Donald Williams and has made a name for himself as the personal summertime coach for many NBA stars.

Moton quipped that there may be some hall-of-famers and legends there, but he's the only coach here who's undefeated.

To which his first opponent, Roy Williams of North Carolina, responded that he sure as heck hoped Moton can't make that statement after his first game.

Keep an eye on Moton because he may be coaching in the Atlantic Coast Conference before long.

We also have a report of Williams and Mike Krzyzewski sitting on a couch and chatting like old friends, which probably isn't all that surprising. We'd like to think they go home and throw darts at photos of one another but there's a lot of mutual respect and admiration there.