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Lawrence Moten, All-Time Orange Great, Passes Away
9/30/2025 3:21:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Former Syracuse standout Lawrence Moten, who was known nationally in basketball circles for his moniker "Poetry in Moten," passed away on Tuesday at the age of 53.
Moten produced a school-record 2,334 points, a total that has not been approached since, between 1991-95 at Syracuse. Moten also established the BIG EAST Conference scoring record (1,405 points), a standard that stood until 2020, some 25 years after he played.
"Lawrence Moten was a Syracuse icon," said Director of Athletics John Wildhack. "His accolades as Syracuse's all-time leading scorer and holding the BIG EAST scoring record for 25 years speak for themselves, but his style of play is what energized the Dome and was deserving of his nickname 'Poetry in Moten.' He was a fixture around the program long after his playing career, always with a smile on his face. We extend our thoughts and prayers to Lawrence's family and friends. He will be Forever Orange."
Hall of Fame Coach Jim Boeheim recruited Moten and then coached him for four seasons at Syracuse.
"This is a tragic day for the Syracuse basketball family," said Boeheim. "Lawrence's passing is such a sudden thing -- it's very hard to take. He was one of the most underrated college basketball players of all time. I believe some people took his ability for granted because he made it look so easy. Lawrence was one of our greatest players and one of the best in the history of the BIG EAST Conference."
Current Syracuse Coach Adrian Autry played with Moten for three campaigns.
"It's a sad day for the Orange community," said Autry. "For me, Lawrence was not only a teammate, but a friend. I can't think of anybody that was more positive or who loved Syracuse more than he did. Obviously, his basketball – he was one of the greatest to put on the uniform. It's a big loss. I was able to play alongside him for three years and watch him do some amazing things. I was fortunate to spend time with him on and off the court. I feel for his family, including his beautiful daughters. Lawrence was a positive light in this world. He was one of a kind. I'm going to miss him."
A native of Washington D.C., Moten played high school basketball and football at Archbishop Carroll. He was named All-Metropolitan Area (DC, Maryland, Virginia) in both sports and was a teammate of future SU quarterback Marvin Graves on both squads. In his senior year with the Lions, Moten averaged 28 points and 10 rebounds per game. He enrolled at New Hampton Prep for one year and led the Huskies to the finals of the New Hampshire Prep School Championship.
Moten was a dominate collegiate player from the moment he arrived at Syracuse. He was named national freshman of the year by Basketball Times, Basketball Weekly and United Press International, and was selected the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year and Third Team All-BIG EAST. The first Syracuse freshman to score 500 points in a season, Moten averaged 18.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in 1991-92. The Orange won the BIG EAST Tournament Championship by beating Georgetown in the final, 56-54, and earned an NCAA Tournament berth before finishing the campaign with a 22-10 record.
He produced averages of 17.9 points and 4.8 rebounds as a sophomore and became the third Syracuse player to accumulate 1,000 career points in less than two seasons. Moten was named First Team All-BIG EAST. The Orange ended up 20-9.
Syracuse was back in the NCAA Tournament in 1993-94, and produced a 23-7 record that included two NCAA postseason wins. Moten averaged a career-best 21.5 points after scoring in double digits in all 30 contests. He earned Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American recognition and was First Team All-BIG EAST again.
He capped his Syracuse career with second team All-American honors from Sporting News and third team recognition from the Associated Press and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). He received First Team All-BIG EAST laurels for the third straight year. Moten averaged 19.6 points per game and broke the school's career scoring record that had been set by Derrick Coleman. The Orange were 20-10 and back in the NCAA Tournament in 1994-95.
Moten was selected in the second round of the 1995 NBA Draft by the Vancouver Grizzlies. He spent two seasons with Grizzlies. Moten signed with the Washington Wizards in 1998 and then continued to play professionally in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and the American Basketball Association (ABA) through 2006. He also had stints playing overseas in Spain and Venezuela.
During the 1999-00 season, Moten was one of 25 players honored with placement on the Syracuse All-Century Team.
Syracuse University retired Moten's jersey in a pre-game ceremony on March 3, 2018.
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Moten produced a school-record 2,334 points, a total that has not been approached since, between 1991-95 at Syracuse. Moten also established the BIG EAST Conference scoring record (1,405 points), a standard that stood until 2020, some 25 years after he played.
"Lawrence Moten was a Syracuse icon," said Director of Athletics John Wildhack. "His accolades as Syracuse's all-time leading scorer and holding the BIG EAST scoring record for 25 years speak for themselves, but his style of play is what energized the Dome and was deserving of his nickname 'Poetry in Moten.' He was a fixture around the program long after his playing career, always with a smile on his face. We extend our thoughts and prayers to Lawrence's family and friends. He will be Forever Orange."
Hall of Fame Coach Jim Boeheim recruited Moten and then coached him for four seasons at Syracuse.
"This is a tragic day for the Syracuse basketball family," said Boeheim. "Lawrence's passing is such a sudden thing -- it's very hard to take. He was one of the most underrated college basketball players of all time. I believe some people took his ability for granted because he made it look so easy. Lawrence was one of our greatest players and one of the best in the history of the BIG EAST Conference."
Current Syracuse Coach Adrian Autry played with Moten for three campaigns.
"It's a sad day for the Orange community," said Autry. "For me, Lawrence was not only a teammate, but a friend. I can't think of anybody that was more positive or who loved Syracuse more than he did. Obviously, his basketball – he was one of the greatest to put on the uniform. It's a big loss. I was able to play alongside him for three years and watch him do some amazing things. I was fortunate to spend time with him on and off the court. I feel for his family, including his beautiful daughters. Lawrence was a positive light in this world. He was one of a kind. I'm going to miss him."
A native of Washington D.C., Moten played high school basketball and football at Archbishop Carroll. He was named All-Metropolitan Area (DC, Maryland, Virginia) in both sports and was a teammate of future SU quarterback Marvin Graves on both squads. In his senior year with the Lions, Moten averaged 28 points and 10 rebounds per game. He enrolled at New Hampton Prep for one year and led the Huskies to the finals of the New Hampshire Prep School Championship.
Moten was a dominate collegiate player from the moment he arrived at Syracuse. He was named national freshman of the year by Basketball Times, Basketball Weekly and United Press International, and was selected the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year and Third Team All-BIG EAST. The first Syracuse freshman to score 500 points in a season, Moten averaged 18.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in 1991-92. The Orange won the BIG EAST Tournament Championship by beating Georgetown in the final, 56-54, and earned an NCAA Tournament berth before finishing the campaign with a 22-10 record.
He produced averages of 17.9 points and 4.8 rebounds as a sophomore and became the third Syracuse player to accumulate 1,000 career points in less than two seasons. Moten was named First Team All-BIG EAST. The Orange ended up 20-9.
Syracuse was back in the NCAA Tournament in 1993-94, and produced a 23-7 record that included two NCAA postseason wins. Moten averaged a career-best 21.5 points after scoring in double digits in all 30 contests. He earned Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American recognition and was First Team All-BIG EAST again.
He capped his Syracuse career with second team All-American honors from Sporting News and third team recognition from the Associated Press and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). He received First Team All-BIG EAST laurels for the third straight year. Moten averaged 19.6 points per game and broke the school's career scoring record that had been set by Derrick Coleman. The Orange were 20-10 and back in the NCAA Tournament in 1994-95.
Moten was selected in the second round of the 1995 NBA Draft by the Vancouver Grizzlies. He spent two seasons with Grizzlies. Moten signed with the Washington Wizards in 1998 and then continued to play professionally in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and the American Basketball Association (ABA) through 2006. He also had stints playing overseas in Spain and Venezuela.
During the 1999-00 season, Moten was one of 25 players honored with placement on the Syracuse All-Century Team.
Syracuse University retired Moten's jersey in a pre-game ceremony on March 3, 2018.
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