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magmo68Mark Payne 6’8" pg…anybody seen him play…hes not on NBADraft.net radar?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vADufJSGz7M
By: Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld.com
The Intriguing Late Bloomer: Mark Payne isn’t a household name and UC Davis isn’t exactly known for churning out NBA players. Gaining exposure in the Big West Conference is a difficult thing to do, but Payne has proven that it is possible to show up on the NBA’s radar if a player possesses a special skill set and back-story.
The 6-8 senior has made a name for himself as a point guard and is turning heads in NBA circles. One league source calls him "unique" while another describes him as "intriguing" with the draft process right around the corner.
But Payne’s background makes the story even more interesting. In high school, he played point guard and by junior year started planning for life after basketball. He wasn’t the biggest or most athletic kid and he figured his playing days would soon be behind him. But entering senior year, Payne hit a growth spurt and began to take the sport seriously. It didn’t take long for others to notice in the late bloomer and he ultimately accepted a scholarship at UC Davis so he could remain close to home.
"I never really lifted weights in high school and I didn’t know basketball was going to be such a big part of my life," Payne told HOOPSWORLD. "I didn’t know I had a future in it in the middle of high school. I didn’t play AAU and I never really knew how to train super hard until I was going into senior year. I got my first dunk in the middle of my senior year and that season I only had like two dunks total. Then I redshirted my freshman year at Davis, and hit the weights hard and got on a strength program. That’s when I found my athleticism."
Today, Payne’s athleticism is viewed as one of his strengths and it’s not uncommon for him to throw down several jaw dropping dunks each game. His versatility has become one of his biggest strengths, but it has also led to questions about what position he’ll play at the next level.
"I think I could be a combo guard or point guard," Payne said. "If a team needs it, I could even be a backup point while playing another position too. I feel comfortable either way. I’ve been playing point guard my entire life until these last few games when I’ve been coming off the ball a little more. But that’s really the first time I’ve ever played off the ball before. I definitely feel comfortable bringing the ball up and playing that point role though. I definitely know I could do either."
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Kennedy: Union Pushing to Remove NBA’s Age Limit: The NBA’s age limit will be a thing of the past if the players’ union gets …Growing up, Payne loved Larry Bird, another late bloomer that emerged as a versatile threat from a small college. Not only was he a huge Bird fan, he would channel the Boston Celtics’ superstar before his games.
"My dad grew up in Indiana and we were always Larry Bird fans growing up so I definitely watched him a lot," he said. "I used to watch a DVD on Larry Bird before all of my games. It was my pregame ritual. Mostly him, but recently I’ve been trying to study Chauncey Billups, Chris Paul, Deron Williams and guys like that."
As he studies NBA stars, the league has begun studying him. Scouts and executives have begun showing up at his games to see for themselves what Payne brings to the table.
"It’s a big change. You see them in the stands and you try not to think about it, but I love it. When people are there evaluating, it gets me hyped and it’s all fun. I’m blessed to have the opportunity to play in front of people like that. I don’t get the opportunity to play on ESPN every day or anything like that so it was a challenge to get on the radar. I’ve only had one game on television in my sophomore year, and I did really well so I think that helped a little bit. But if that hadn’t happened, it would just be difficult to get scouts and decision makers to come to Big West games," Payne said.
Once they’re in the building, the senior has little trouble impressing those decision makers. Because of his size and skills, he’s rarely matched up against someone that can guard him.
"In college, I almost always have an advantage over who is guarding me," he said. "If they put a 6’5 or 6’6 guy on me, I’m so much faster. If they put a little guard on me, I can shoot over them. It’s definitely a big matchup problem and I think my versatility will give me a lot of options at the next level."
But Payne isn’t ready to start focusing on the next level just yet.
"I’m just trying to focus on winning the Big West and doing everything here. That’s my main focus. But at the end of the year, I’m going to have some exciting opportunities and I’m definitely looking forward to doing something different and going through the whole draft process," he said.
Payne isn’t the only one excited. The NBA is looking forward to evaluating his game and seeing what this unique, intriguing prospect has to offer during individual workouts. Mark Payne isn’t a household name yet, but that could very well change in the next five months.
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