By Cameron Lee
October 4, 2026
On Thursday, North Carolina Central University men’s basketball coach LeVelle Moton shared a video that recreates the original opening credits of the late-’80s and early-’90s television series A Different World.
The series, which followed the lives of students at Hillman College, a fictional HBCU in Virginia, served as the inspiration for the Durham-based HBCU’s 2026-27 basketball team intro video, which originally featured Aretha Franklin singing the opening credits song.
It was timely, as A Different World was recently reimagined as a Netflix sequel series and announced on Friday that it was renewed for a second season. Created and written by Felicia Pride (Bel-Air, Grey’s Anatomy, Queen Sugar) and executive produced by Debbie Allen, the series brings back several cast members from the original show, including Kadeem Hardison as Dwayne Wayne, Jasmine Guy as Whitley Gilbert and Darryl M. Bell as Ron Johnson, along with special guest appearances from stars including Method Man as Coach Coles and Tichina Arnold as Darlene Duvall.
The series also has a direct North Carolina connection, as actor Joshua Suiter, who plays Andre, is from Durham, and a graduate of North Carolina A&T, where he earned a B.F.A. in Professional Theatre.
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The NCCU video was conceived by Moton, who also came up with the idea for last year’s Family Matters theme, and was filmed at McDougald-McLendon Arena by Durham videographer John Guess, who both share a love for ’80s and ’90s television shows.
“We have an affinity for a time period going up,” Guess said. “For the most part, entertainment-wise especially, there’s not really a better time than when we grow up.”
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The video features Moton, NCCU players, cheerleaders and mascot Eddie the Eagle, with computer-generated backgrounds recreating the visual style of the original opening credits. According to Guess, Moton and the team plan to produce a themed video ahead of each season.
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