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Lawrence Moten, a legendary Syracuse University basketball star who briefly played in the NBA, has died at age 53.
His daughter, Lawrencia, confirmed his passing Tuesday, according to Syracuse.com, which reports he was found at his home earlier in the day. There are no reports of foul play.
Moten is still Syracuse's all-time leading scorer after dropping 2,334 career points from 1991 until 1995.
A once unheralded recruit from Washington DC powerhouse Archbishop Carroll, Moten is best known for his high socks, long stride and deft ball handling.
In June, he returned to Washington to take a job as general manager for Digital Pioneers Academy's boys and girls teams.
Lawrence Moten has passed away at 53. Moten remains Syracuse's all-time leading scorer
Former Big East legend Lawrence Moten is honored at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse in 2018
Moten was more than just a scorer for the Orangemen, as they were known in the early 1990s.
Syracuse faced an NCAA investigation into alleged violations when he arrived at the school, but still reached as high as No. 10 in the AP poll before finish 21st overall as Moten averaged 18.1 points a game alongside current Syracuse coach Adrian Autry and center Conrad McRae.
Coach Jim Boeheim's team would be banned from the NCAA tournament in 1993, but returned the next season as Moten and new running mate John Wallace became one of the best duos in the Big East.
Syracuse would finish the season ranked 15th in the country.
Moten's final season ended with a disappointing second-round exit in the NCAA Tournament, but he would go on to play professionally for the NBA's Vancouver Grizzlies before joining various European clubs and independent teams in the U.S.
Lawrence Moten #21 of the Mobile Revelers takes down a big rebound against the North Charleston Lowgators in Game 2 of the NBDL playoffs at the Mobile Civic Center in Mobile
Moten famously roomed with another legendary Syracuse athlete and Archbishop Carroll product, former Orangemen quarterback Marin Graves.
'You're talking about a guy at one end of the room that's a {potential} Heisman Trophy winner and Boeheim told The Washington Post in 1992. 'Two guys from the same high school, coming in and being roommates. I don't know if there's too many one-two combinations like that anyplace.'
Moten also discussed their relationship with the Post.
'When me and Marvin are together alone,' Moten said, 'we sit around and joke, and I'll say, 'Marv, we're the two most popular guys on this campus and maybe the best two-sport duo in the country,' and he'll say, 'Yeah, that's right.' Mostly we don't think about that, though. We just go out there and do what we do best. But it's a good feeling.'
