Syracuse basketball recently lost a former star, Lawrence Moten, as he passed away at the age of 53. Moten played for the program in the early 1990s and still holds the scoring record. The cause of death is still unknown.
Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim recruited and coached Moten and shared his reaction to the news of his passing.
“Lawrence's passing is such a sudden thing — it's very hard to take,” Boeheim said. “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.”
Moten was known as “Poetry in Moten” and scored 2,334 points over four seasons with Syracuse from 1991 to 1995. He had a scoring record of 1,405 points in Big East play that stood until 2020. Syracuse qualified for the NCAA Tournament three times with Moten.
In 1995, he was selected in the second round of the NBA Draft by the Vancouver Grizzlies, where he played two seasons with them, and then played eight games with the Washington Wizards in 1998.
Adrian Autry, one of Moten's teammates at Syracuse and took over the coaching job in 2023, spoke highly about the former star.
“I can't think of anybody that was more positive or who loved Syracuse more than he did,” Autry said. “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.”
