How to Properly Remember Lawrence Moten

[IthacaMatt]

How to properly remember Lawrence Moten

Lawrence Moten isn’t just the all-time leading scorer in Big East history. He’s the guy who kept Syracuse right at the top of the Big East conference, and relevant nationally, in the aftermath of the probation. Lawrence Moten kept the program alive after Billy Owens left. John Wallace got it back to the top.
I posted this in response to an article over on Nunes, but I thought I would share the thought over here, and would like to say that I'm glad to see him involved again with the program. Always a classy guy. He reminded me of Dave Bing in that regard. Understated elegance.

 

[gilardino]

I feel Lawrence Moten was one of the most important players in Syracuse Basketball history. He kept the program alive during tough times. If not for Moten, who knows what could have happened. When he came he was not the big recruit. It was more Anthony Harris. Thank you Lawrence Moten

 

[DNABB5]

Moten was just so smooth. Poetry in was dead on. I mean, name another guy who moved so well without the ball the he got like 500 of his points on uncontested lay-ins. Seriously. That is what I remember about his game, all of a sudden he is standing at the low block with the ball and doesn't dunk, but just jumps and gently drops it through for two and heads upcourt and you (and the opposing guard he rubbed off on someone) are like, how the hell did he get there?

Plus that shot looked like you were shooting on the grass behind the barn with your grandad who played in the '30's.

 

[Full_Rebar]

Great guy and those who have met him can truly understand his passion for Syracuse. I would venture to guess that tears will be shed during his jersey retirement ceremony.

 

[RandygoCuse]

I heard that he was originally recruited for football. Can anyone confirm?

 

[PeteCalvin]

I heard that he was originally recruited for football. Can anyone confirm?

He was a solid WR coming out of HS, and in fact played with Marvin Graves at Archbishop Carroll. I don't think he was considering football all too seriously in college, although there were rumblings about him going two sport early on.

 

[SWC75]

Loved his game. Keep moving for 40 minutes and hit shots when they came open . He wasn't great at anything, (treys, drives to the basket, above the rim), but he kept moving, kept trying to get open. I'll bet his defender(s) was exhausted after ever game. Nowadays it's all about hanging out at the three point line, posting up underneath or driving through the defense to get to the basket. Ugly basketball.

 

[pfister1]

Geez, what a shock...based on the title I thought he had passed.

I agree that he was a very important player in enabling the program to survive the prolonged investigation and probation period. I think there are probably three things that get in the way of people elevating him to a higher standard in the pantheon of SU players.

1. Teams he was on didn't end up having great successes. They never advanced past the Sweet 16 of the NCAAT and while there was a BET championship his freshman year, his teams were only 20-23 win teams with three of them having 9 or 10 losses.
2. He never really made it inthe NBA and whatever professional career he had was very low profile.
3. His career ended in that stinking Arkansas gave where he called the time out we didn't have to call.


In his defense:
1. He is SU's All Time Leading Scorer
2. Was the Big East's All Time Leading Scorer (don't recall whether he was overtaken)
3. 3 Time 1st Team All Big East selection
4. Big East Rookie of the Year
5. 3rd Team AP All American as a senior
6. 24th All Time at SU in assists / 33rd All Time at SU in rebounds / 6th All Time at SU in 3 Point baskets made
7. Member of SU's All Century Team

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Geez, what a shock...based on the title I thought he had passed.

Thank you! First time I saw the thread I thought he was gone. Terrible wording people.

 

[HoustonCuse]

Can we settle the timeout issue once and for all? In looking at replays of the game it's clearly blamed on Luke Jackson at the time but I, and many others, remember it to be Lawrence Moten who made the time out call.Which is it?

 

[OttoMets]

Can we settle the timeout issue once and for all? In looking at replays of the game it's clearly blamed on Luke Jackson at the time but I, and many others, remember it to be Lawrence Moten who made the time out call.Which is it?

Moten. CBS got it wrong. And Jackson looked totally puzzled.

 

[PhillyOrange]

Regarding Moten playing football...I remember a quote of him stating that he will play 4 years of basketball at SU and then go to the NFL. I also remember the first time watching him play vs. Florida State. High socks and a small bold spot on the side of his head. He went up vs.Sam Cassel, Heisman player Ware, and a player that I enjoyed watching Bobby Sura from Wilks Barre, Pa. That team that lost to Arkansas was stacked. WHAT IF...the Pearl stays for his Senior year ...or if Michael Lloyd comes back. Do we actually win two more Titles instead of losing to Indiana and Kentucky?

 

[tbonezone]

LOMO.
i always thought he was a DB recruit . roomed with graves. baseline killa. sneaky smooth. just a great player.

 

[pfister1]

Can we settle the timeout issue once and for all? In looking at replays of the game it's clearly blamed on Luke Jackson at the time but I, and many others, remember it to be Lawrence Moten who made the time out call.Which is it?

Jackson made the steal, Moten made the call. CBS got it wrong.


Here is the evidence. The Link to the left takes you to the correct spot in the video.

 

[poc44]

Please if you haven't already go to his site http://lawrencemoten.com/ his manager and I are trying to promote him as much as possible from the grass roots level to show him to love back that he deserves. I've been to his outings and he is an incredible person. He even spoke about his recruitment, football, Maryland, Marvin Graves and the Time-out...

 

[cuseattle]

I love me some Larry highsocks! The scoring record shall never be broken in the Big East.

 

[cuseattle]

He would be about 500 behind psycho T in the acc.

 

[SgtCuse]

Lawrence holds a special place in our household. It was around that time when I converted my wife to become a maniac fan like me so Moten is her all-time favorite Orangemen.

For the younger fans, Moten had a great ability to let the game come to him. In other words, you would be watching the game and the announcer would say "Moten now has 25" and I would think, "how the hell is that possible? I thought he only had 12." CJ has a bit of that in his game as well in my opinion.

The 2 moments that really stick out to me is him kissing Hopkins on national TV after he made a clutch FT. I remember turning to my wife and ask her "did I just see that?" Great moment. Couldn't find it on youtube but did manage to find the newspaper report of the game:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...5AzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DOcFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6438,1436978

The other was a non-basketball related moment. During the Miami football game were we came up a yard short, Moten was on the sideline and the camera kept showing him. He was going crazy with excitement when we were making our come back. That showed me right there that the guy bleeds Orange.

 

[SWC75]

Geez, what a shock...based on the title I thought he had passed.

I agree that he was a very important player in enabling the program to survive the prolonged investigation and probation period. I think there are probably three things that get in the way of people elevating him to a higher standard in the pantheon of SU players.

1. Teams he was on didn't end up having great successes. They never advanced past the Sweet 16 of the NCAAT and while there was a BET championship his freshman year, his teams were only 20-23 win teams with three of them having 9 or 10 losses.
2. He never really made it inthe NBA and whatever professional career he had was very low profile.
3. His career ended in that stinking Arkansas gave where he called the time out we didn't have to call.


In his defense:
1. He is SU's All Time Leading Scorer
2. Was the Big East's All Time Leading Scorer (don't recall whether he was overtaken)
3. 3 Time 1st Team All Big East selection
4. Big East Rookie of the Year
5. 3rd Team AP All American as a senior
6. 24th All Time at SU in assists / 33rd All Time at SU in rebounds / 6th All Time at SU in 3 Point baskets made
7. Member of SU's All Century Team

He had a lot of strange end of game plays that year. He fouled a Pitt three point attempt with a second left and SU up by 4. There was a too early in the shot clock attempt in a game against St. John's. There was the 5 second call in the BET vs. Providence with JB screaming at him- right in his line of vision- to move. Then the TO we didn't have vs. Arkansas, a game we had won, with the celebration beginning. Very strange stuff. There was no movement in the odds before games to suggest anything illegal was going on. It was just strange.