Mike Waters of Syracuse received word from his daughter, Lawrencia, that his 53-year-old basketball hero, Lawrence Moten, died Tuesday. Moten set the school's career scoring mark with 3,334 points for Syracuse from 1991 through 1995. Former basketball player Etan Thomas recently paid tribute to the legend on Instagram. Additionally, he honored his former comrade Moten with a special episode of his podcast, The Etan and Devo Show.
Etan Thomas honors Lawrence Moten with heartfelt memories of Syracuse’s beloved “Poetry in Moten”
Lawrence Moten, the smooth-scoring guard who became Syracuse's all-time leading scorer and left a lasting influence on college basketball in the 1990s, died Tuesday, according to Syracuse sports. His moniker, " Poetry in Moten ," made him famous in basketball circles across the nation.
Etan Thomas wrote on Instagram,
“On this special edition of The Etan and Devo Show, we did a tribute episode to Lawrence Moten… We talked about how amazing of a player he was at Syracuse, how gifted of a scorer he was, one of the best ever in the Big East, but more importantly, we talked about Lawrence Moten the person…”
He continued:
“His love for his daughters, his positive spirit, his laid back demeanor, how much he appreciated the love he got from the Syracuse community.”
Every fan from that era has and will continue to hold the hoopster in high regard, and he is affectionately regarded as Poetry in Moten.
“We’re talking one time on the train going up there, and we're just talking. We see different people coming by, and, you know, everybody says ”Cuse in the house’. They still say that yell out loud Every fan from that era has and will continue to hold the hoopster in high regard, and he is affectionately regarded as Poetry in Moten, the train station, and it’s just a lot of ‘Cuse love, and he always really appreciated it, like it would make him light up. Like he would just have that big smile and just say, ‘Yeah, love going back’..”
He further added:
“So, I mean he loved ‘Cuse man, and ‘Cuse loved him, so he’s definitely gonna be missed. Yeah. Yeah, man.”
Syracuse mourns as legendary scorer Lawrence Moten found dead at his Washington home
Moten passed away at his Washington, D.C., home, according to Lawrencia, his daughter, who spoke to Syracuse.com. Former Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said in a statement:
“This is a tragic day for the Syracuse basketball family .. 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.”
According to reports, Moten was found dead at his home in Washington on Tuesday afternoon. Although there have been no reports of foul play, the cause of his death is still unknown. He lives in Washington and has been the head coach of the boys' and girls' teams at Digital Pioneers Academy since June 2025.
A statement from the school's athletic director John Wildhack said:
“Lawrence Moten was a Syracuse icon.. 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.’"
Moten was said to have been discovered dead inside his Washington home on Tuesday afternoon. Although no foul play has been reported, the cause of his death is not known yet.
Also read: What is Lawrence Moten's net worth? Exploring the career as Syracuse basketball legend passes away
Etan Thomas honors Lawrence Moten with heartfelt memories of Syracuse’s beloved “Poetry in Moten”
Lawrence Moten, the smooth-scoring guard who became Syracuse's all-time leading scorer and left a lasting influence on college basketball in the 1990s, died Tuesday, according to Syracuse sports. His moniker, " Poetry in Moten ," made him famous in basketball circles across the nation.
Etan Thomas wrote on Instagram,
“On this special edition of The Etan and Devo Show, we did a tribute episode to Lawrence Moten… We talked about how amazing of a player he was at Syracuse, how gifted of a scorer he was, one of the best ever in the Big East, but more importantly, we talked about Lawrence Moten the person…”
He continued:
“His love for his daughters, his positive spirit, his laid back demeanor, how much he appreciated the love he got from the Syracuse community.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/DPZMsu7EeB3/ https://www.instagram.com/p/DPZMsu7EeB3/
Every fan from that era has and will continue to hold the hoopster in high regard, and he is affectionately regarded as Poetry in Moten.
“We’re talking one time on the train going up there, and we're just talking. We see different people coming by, and, you know, everybody says ”Cuse in the house’. They still say that yell out loud Every fan from that era has and will continue to hold the hoopster in high regard, and he is affectionately regarded as Poetry in Moten, the train station, and it’s just a lot of ‘Cuse love, and he always really appreciated it, like it would make him light up. Like he would just have that big smile and just say, ‘Yeah, love going back’..”
He further added:
“So, I mean he loved ‘Cuse man, and ‘Cuse loved him, so he’s definitely gonna be missed. Yeah. Yeah, man.”
Syracuse mourns as legendary scorer Lawrence Moten found dead at his Washington home
Moten passed away at his Washington, D.C., home, according to Lawrencia, his daughter, who spoke to Syracuse.com. Former Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said in a statement:
“This is a tragic day for the Syracuse basketball family .. 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.”
An all-time great on and off the court.
— Syracuse Men’s Basketball (@Cuse_MBB) September 30, 2025
Heavy hearts for the 'Cuse Family today as we mourn the passing of Lawrence Moten.https://t.co/i7MCeNjRa9 pic.twitter.com/fJoGaKnhGp
According to reports, Moten was found dead at his home in Washington on Tuesday afternoon. Although there have been no reports of foul play, the cause of his death is still unknown. He lives in Washington and has been the head coach of the boys' and girls' teams at Digital Pioneers Academy since June 2025.
A statement from the school's athletic director John Wildhack said:
“Lawrence Moten was a Syracuse icon.. 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.’"
Moten was said to have been discovered dead inside his Washington home on Tuesday afternoon. Although no foul play has been reported, the cause of his death is not known yet.
Also read: What is Lawrence Moten's net worth? Exploring the career as Syracuse basketball legend passes away
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