The Worst Times Are the Best Times

Enjoy endearing, heartfelt stories from a NCAA Division I basketball coach who overcame life's everyday obstacles ? poverty, violence, bullying and heartbreak ? to find success on and off the court. N.C. Central University head coach LeVelle Moton shares personal stories to help inspire and motivate. Looking back at his adolescent years, where he was an outstanding athlete, he shares tales about life that relate to sports, while not always directly involving action on the playing fields. Stories deal with making wise choices, overcoming failure, abstaining from sex, finding mentors and preparation. Every chapter has a takeaway for readers in the ?Inside the Locker Room” and ?Chalkboard” sections. More than developing the next superstar athlete, Moton is interested in teaching life's hard lessons. Moton shares stories from his life, looking back to relationships with his grandmother and mother, strong woman who helped him navigate a turbulent childhood. He shares stories about growing up without a father and reflects on several mentors he found as a young man trying to find his way. In another story he recalls a relationship with a teenage girlfriend that goes bad. His stories are sincere, funny and humbling. The Worst Times Are The Best Times is an honest look at growing up struggling with the world working against you and finding a way to the life you dreamed for yourself. It's the compelling story of Moton overcoming the challenges of boyhood in the ghettos of Boston and Raleigh N.C., and using those personal experiences to provide valuable perspective for young people today. Written by coach Moton and journalist Edward G. Robinson III, the book is moving for adults and poignant for youth, informative for basketball fans, and relevant and engaging to all. As part of Moton's and Robinson's ongoing commitment to support youth in their community, a portion of proceeds from all book sales is being donated to the Boys & Girls Club of America. ?Basketball is what I do and not who I am.” It's the mantra that Moten lives by. He is currently the coach for his alma mater N.C. Central University, where he became the school's 17th head coach in 2009. He is also a husband, loving father and a God-fearing man. Guided by one of the nation's most successful up-and-coming coaches, N.C. Central won its first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship during the 2013-14 season and earned a berth into its first men's Division I NCAA Tournament. He was named MEAC Coach of the Year. Moton graduated from N.C. Central in 1996 after becoming the third all-time leading scorer in school his¬tory ? 1,714 points. Named to the university's Hall of Fame in 2004, he returned to his alma mater in 2007 as an assistant coach. He has climbed the coaching ranks quickly, starting as a teacher and coach at West Millbrook Middle School in Raleigh, N.C., in 2001. Moton holds higher education as a priority for players and for himself. He earned a master's degree from N.C. Central in special education in December 2013. He formed the non¬profit Velle Cares Foundation, Inc., whose mission is to serve and assist community-based organizations that promote health, education and life skills for children and families in at-risk situations. Moton and his wife Bridget live in Durham, N.C., with their daughter Brooke, and son LeVelle Jr.