As a player, there was nothing unfamiliar about the basketball court for Lawrence Moten.
A star at Archbishop Carroll High School, he was recruited by Maryland and Georgetown before heading north to Syracuse University. He's still the team's all-time leading scorer, and he's sharing his basketball knowledge with players at Gallaudet University.
“I always wanted to teach,” said Moten. “Teaching is coaching. Coaching is teaching. It’s something I love to do.”
Moten is an assistant coach at Gallaudet, a school for the deaf and hard of hearing. Many of the players communicate primarily through American Sign Language. Moten does not.
“They're teaching me ASL,” Moten said. “I know certain things as far as basketball terminology, which helps me out. It's my job in learning their culture, also, and I take it as a strong challenge.”
It's a challenge made easier by Moten's experience playing overseas. Gallaudet's head coach Kevin Kovacs said that's part of why he got the job.
“I thought that was perfect concept of how he could really fit in here," Kovacs said. "We aren't another country, but we have a different language, we have a different culture."
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It’s turning out to be a great fit for everyone.
“We all know that he's just arrived at Gallaudet,” said center Joshua McGriff. “We all know it takes time to learn the process of learning ASL.”
“I take this as a strong challenge, even walking around campus," Moten said. "I just don’t want to be here as a coach. I want to be here as a teacher and learn from them."
