DURHAM, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University men's basketball program returns to the hardwood for the 2018-19 season as back-to-back MEAC Tournament Champions for the first time in the Division I era.
 
Head coach LeVelle Moton returns to start his 10th season at the helm of the men's basketball program as the third-most winningest coach in school history with 171 victories.  With new players coming into the fold, Moton has let the team know that there is plenty of work ahead of them.
 
"We're not defending anything.  I tell our kids we're not defending any titles.  It's our first year together, so we're going out and trying to win one," Moton said.  "We had success in the tournament last year for those four days, but we had some bumps in the road due to injuries and maturity.  The best thing about having freshmen last year is that they're sophomores this year.  I'm looking forward to coaching this team, and hopefully repeating what we did last year."
 
The Eagles went 19-16 during the 2017-18 slate and 9-7 in league play before taking Norfolk by storm, winning four games in six days to win a second consecutive tournament championship to return to the NCAA Tournament.  NCCU returns all five of the starters from the tournament run, and also adds five new student-athletes: Jibri Blount (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Nicolas Fennell (Bowie, Md.), Randy Miller Jr. (Odenton, Md.), Roderick Taylor Jr. (Killeen, Texas), and Julian Walters (Madison, Wis.).
 
The Eagles return a strong core from last season, as Preseason All-MEAC selections Raasean Davis (Chicago, Ill.), Reggie Gardner Jr. (Bowie, Md.) and Jordan Perkins (Greensboro, N.C.) are joined by Zacarry Douglas (Landover, Md.), John Guerra (Cary, N.C.), Rashann London (Philadelphia, Pa.), and Larry McKnight Jr. (North Miami, Fla.).
 
Davis notched 11 double-doubles during last year's championship journey, and averaged 15.1 points and 8.1 boards per contest while starting all 35 games.  Gardner was a marksman from outside the arc, as he knocked down 76 3-pointers, and was top-10 in the MEAC with an average of 2.2 per contest.  Perkins adapted to his role as a primary point guard in his freshman year by finishing second in the league with an average of 5.4 assists per game and a positive 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio.
 
Blount joins the fray after sitting out last year due to NCAA transfer rules after starting his collegiate career at Cleveland State.  Blount played a pair of years as a Viking and put up a total of 277 points and 158 rebounds, and now joins the Eagles in a combo guard/forward role.
 
Fennell hails from Archbishop Carroll in Washington, D.C., where he was a First Team All-Washington, D.C., and Third Team All-WCAC selection. 
 
Miller joins the Eagles from Moberly Area Community College, after making his first stop at Mount St. Mary's.  While at Moberly, Miller earned First Team All-Region 16 and First Team All-MCCAC distinctions, averaging 13.6 points per game and shooting 42.4 percent from the perimeter.
 
Taylor will debut for the Eagles after transferring from Louisiana Monroe, where he made a total of 60 appearances over three seasons.  During his time as a Warhawk, the forward collected 85 rebounds, and shot 44.4 percent from the floor.
 
Walters takes the floor for the maroon and gray as a graduate transfer from Alabama A&M, after plying his trade at East Tennessee State and North Dakota State College of Science, where he started his collegiate career.  Last season as a Bulldog, Walters made 22 appearances and dished out 80 assists to average 3.6 per game.
 
NCCU has a challenging schedule ahead of itself, as the Eagles will start the year in the arena of a nationally-ranked opponent of Clemson.  NCCU will also face Cincinnati, who represented the Big East during the 2018 NCAA Tournament.  Other highlights of the non-conference schedule include the 2018 Emerald Coast Classic in Niceville, Florida., where the Eagles will face Nicholls State and either Southern or Western Michigan during Thanksgiving weekend, and road trips to Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, and Saint Louis.
 
NCCU will host four non-conference bouts, starting on Nov. 18 against Warren Wilson.  Also coming to McDougald-McLendon Arena are Christendom (Nov. 28), McNeese State (Dec. 1), and Wilberforce (Dec. 30).