Lawrence Moten, the all-time leading scorer for Syracuse University’s men’s basketball team, passed away in his Washington, D.C., residence on September 30, 2025, at the age of 53.
His daughter, Lawrencia Moten, confirmed his passing to Syracuse.com. Syracuse University athletic officials also verified the news, with several staff members learning of it through various contacts. The cause of death has not been disclosed.
Standing at 6-foot-5, Moten was known as “Poetry in Moten” for his smooth gameplay. He amassed 2,334 points during his four-year tenure with the Orange from 1991 to 1995, a record that still stands. Throughout 121 career games, he averaged 19.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists, scoring in double figures in 118 games. He remains the only Syracuse player to score at least 500 points in four consecutive seasons.
Originally from Washington, D.C., Moten attended Archbishop Carroll High School and then spent a prep year at New Hampton School in New Hampshire. He joined Syracuse in 1991, making an immediate impact by becoming the first freshman from Syracuse to score 500 points in a season. He was named Big East Rookie of the Year and earned Third Team All-Big East honors, averaging 18.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in the 1991-92 season. That year, Syracuse won the Big East Tournament Championship, defeating Georgetown 56-54 in the final.
As a sophomore, Moten averaged 17.9 points and 4.8 rebounds, becoming the third Syracuse player to reach 1,000 career points in less than two seasons. He received First Team All-Big East recognition. Despite NCAA sanctions affecting the program with a one-year postseason ban, Syracuse returned to the NCAA Tournament in 1993-94 with a 23-7 record, including two postseason victories. That season, Moten averaged a career-high 21.5 points, scoring in double digits in all 30 games.
Moten concluded his Syracuse career in 1995 with third-team All-American status from the Associated Press and the National Association of Basketball Coaches. He earned First Team All-Big East honors for the third consecutive year and surpassed Derrick Coleman’s career scoring record at the school. At the end of his college career, Moten also led the Big East in career scoring with 1,405 points. His record stood for 25 years until Markus Howard of Marquette broke it in February 2020. At that time, Moten remarked, “Records are made to be broken.”
Jim Boeheim, the Hall of Fame coach who recruited and coached Moten, described him as “one of the most underrated college basketball players of all time.” Boeheim noted that Moten’s effortless style often led people to underestimate his abilities, and he highlighted Moten as one of Syracuse’s greatest players and among the best in the history of the Big East Conference.
Adrian Autry, who played with Moten for three seasons at Syracuse and succeeded Boeheim as head coach in 2023, expressed his sorrow over Moten’s passing. Autry stated he couldn’t imagine “anybody that was more positive” or more devoted to Syracuse than Moten. He emphasized that Moten was one of the greatest to don the Syracuse uniform and that his loss was significant. Autry reflected on the privilege of playing alongside him for three years and witnessing his remarkable achievements, both on and off the court.
Syracuse athletic director John Wildhack referred to Moten as a Syracuse icon. Wildhack remarked that while Moten’s accolades as the program’s all-time leading scorer and holding the Big East scoring record for 25 years are significant, his “style of play is what energized the Dome.” Wildhack added that Moten remained engaged with the program long after his playing days, always bringing a smile.
Moten was drafted by the Vancouver Grizzlies in the second round of the 1995 NBA Draft, as the 36th overall pick, making him the franchise’s second draft selection after Bryant Reeves. He played in 111 games over two seasons with the Grizzlies before leaving the NBA in 1997 when the team opted not to re-sign him. Moten later played in Greece and the minor leagues before returning to the NBA in February 1998, signing two ten-day contracts with the Washington Wizards and participating in eight games.
During his three NBA seasons, Moten averaged 6.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. After leaving the NBA, he played professionally in Spain and Venezuela. He also competed in the Continental Basketball Association and American Basketball Association through 2006, earning two ABA All-Star selections in 2005 and 2006 with the Maryland Nighthawks.
Following his playing career, Moten transitioned into coaching and youth development. He became vice president of player development for the ABA’s Maryland Nighthawks and later served as head coach of the Rochester Razorsharks in the Premier Basketball League, leading them to a championship title with a 17-1 record in 2014. The following year, he accepted a position as assistant coach at Gallaudet University, a Division III institution in Washington, D.C., for students who are deaf and hard of hearing.
In 2019, Moten began working at Clary Middle School in Syracuse, New York, mentoring students in the Syracuse City School District. In June 2025, he returned to Washington, D.C., to become general manager for the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams at Digital Pioneers Academy, a public charter school. He had only started the position in July.
During the 1999-2000 season, Moten was among 25 players honored with inclusion in the Syracuse All-Century Team. Syracuse University retired his No. 21 jersey in a pregame ceremony on March 3, 2018, at the Carrier Dome, placing him among a select group of Syracuse players whose jerseys are displayed in the Dome’s rafters.
Moten is survived by his wife, Noelene, and their two daughters, Lawrencia and Leilani. Lawrencia Moten works as a color and play-by-play commentator for college sports at HBCU Go and as a sideline reporter at Liberty University.
