Guard Treylon Payne was asked to score more during his high school season with Episcopal Collegiate School, and it appears he’ll do the same for 16-under Team South in the spring and summer.
Payne (6-1, 165) averaged 21.5 points, 6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 3.5 steals and a block a game for the Wildcats as a sophomore.
“This past school year I had to do a lot more scoring for my team, and I’m just trying to carry it over to this year so I can be an all-around guard,” Payne said.
He averaged 8.8 points, 4.8 assists, 3 rebounds and 1.1 steals for a deep Team South team that went 4-1 during Real Deal in the Rock over the weekend.
“I decided to be more aggressive on offense rather than just defense,” said Payne, who scored 11 points twice in the tournament.
Payne caught the eye of several observers with his ability to score, run the team and play good defense while setting up his teammates offensively.
He has a scholarship offer from Abilene Christian and is drawing interest from UALR and Eastern Michigan but has the talent to gain more interest from larger schools over the next several months while playing in front of college coaches.
“I just try and be a leader for my team,” said Payne, who reports a 6-6 wingspan. “Being more aggressive on offense and having high communication with my teammates.”
After performing in from of several college coaches last year while playing for Team South, Payne feels confident about displaying his talent this spring and summer with coaches at court side.
“I really don’t get nervous anymore since I played in front of a lot of college coaches last year,” he said.