Payne makes it two for Mizzou
The finale of Missouri's 2015 basketball recruiting cycle got off to a hot start with the weekend commitment of John A. Logan junior college shooting guard Martavian Payne and power forward Russell Woods.
Payne and Woods are in the midst of their official visits to Columbia and both made the call just hours apart on Saturday. It was a familiar trip for Payne. He grew up in St. Louis, and the call home played a big factor in his decision.
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"I grew up watching Mizzou and I always loved Mizzou basketball," Payne said. "It's my home state. When they offered me, I was just real excited. I always wanted to go there since I was a kid so that made it easy for me to commit to Mizzou.
"It's going to be great to be able to play in front of my family. I have a really supportive family so they are going to be at most of my games. It'll be good to have them cheering for me and Mizzou."
Recruited by assistant coach Brad Loos, Payne said that was another factor in his decision to pick Missouri.
"The first day I talked to Coach Loos, I knew I liked him," Payne explained. He's just a real good guy and a real good coach. I just felt like he was cool and kept it real with me from day one."
As a junior college transfer with two years of eligibility remaining, Payne will be expected to be a major contributor on next season's basketball team, which is replacing its top scorer, in addition to starting point guard Keith Shamburger.
Payne has a skill-set that could fill those two voids.
"I believe I can bring leadership and experience to the team," Payne said. "Of course, I'll bring my ability to score the ball and other skills on the court. I feel comfortable being labeled a combo guard. I can bring the ball up the court and run the offense as well."
Last season, Payne averaged 15.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game for Logan College. Now, the competition level ramps up fast in the SEC -- Payne said that "the speed of the game" will be his biggest adjustment.
"That's really exciting, knowing I'm going to play against Kentucky and Florida and schools like that," Payne said. "That's what I dreamed about growing up."
While his contributions will be needed on the court, Payne is hoping he can help Missouri's efforts off the court, as well. Being from St. Louis -- and seeing so many high-level recruits come out of St. Louis in recent years -- Payne hopes strong play by him can influence the decisions of others.
"I think I can encourage more players to come to Mizzou if they see me playing there and doing well," Payne said. "I believe I can be a real role model. If I do well, I think more kids will look in to Mizzou and not be scared off by some of the perceptions out there."