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Syracuse’s basketball legend, Lawrence Moten, died at age 53.
Motan’s daughter, Lawnce, confirmed her death on Tuesday, saying that she was found in her home in Washington, DC.
“Lawrence Motan was a Syracuse icon,” said school athletic director John Wildhack, in a statement. “His praise as the top scorer of all Syracuse’s time and holding the Big East score record for 25 years speak for themselves, but his style of play is what energized the dome and deserved his nickname, ‘Poetry in the Motan’.
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Lawrence Moten de Syracuse (21) in Action vs. Umass in Worcester, Massachusetts, on March 22, 1992. (Manny Millan/Sports Illustrated through Getty Images)
“It was a fixed element around the program long after his career as a player, always with a smile on his face. We extend our thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of Lawrence. It will be forever orange.”
Motan played for Orange from 1991 to 1995, and remains the leading scorer of all the program of the program with 2,334 race points. He averaged 19.3 points per game during his four years leading orange in hard wood.
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Motan’s impact occurred at a time when Syracuse was under the NCAA investigation, but remained committed to the program. He averaged 18.2 points as a first -year student, helping Syracuse to arrive at the 1992 NCAA tournament.
The team could not qualify for March Madness next season, since the NCAA investigation led to a one -year tournament ban. However, Motan stayed and took the orange to return to the tournament in 1994 and 1995, with the last season he won the all-americ honors of the second team.
Lawrence Moten, from Syracuse Orangeman, dribble the ball during a university basketball game against the Georgetown Hoyas in the Capitol Capitol on January 20, 1992, in Landover, Maryland. (Mitchell Layton/Getty images)
Motan’s game style, described as soft and effortlessly, led to his iconic nickname of “poetry in Motan” that Orange fans adopted.
Motan played professionally after being recruited in the second round of the 1995 NBA draft by the Vancouver Grizzlies. He spent two seasons with the club before signing with the Washington Wizards in 1998.
He also played in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and the American Basketball Association (ABA) until 2006. His career also included stops abroad in Spain and Venezuela.
After retiring, Motan returned to the Syracuse area to work with youth groups in the city’s school district.
Lawrence Motan of the Syracuse Orange takes a foul during a university basketball match against the Georgetown Hoyas on February 7, 1994 at Usair Arena in Landover, Maryland. (Mitchell Layton/Getty images)
Later, he continued to shape the next generation of basketball players in his hometown of Washington, DC, and served as general manager of the children’s teams in Digital Pioneers Academy.
