The Adreian Payne mystery will soon be solved.
Payne’s coach at Dayton Jefferson High School, Art Winston, told me today that Payne will probably hold a press conference at the school Thursday to decide between UA, Michigan State, West Virginia and Kentucky.
“He’s ready to make a decision,” Winston said.
Winston said it’s not true that Payne had already narrowed his choices down to Michigan State and West Virginia.
“I don’t know where that came from,” Winston said. “All four schools are in the mix. I think he enjoyed all his visits and he likes all the coaches. That’s a plus.”
Winston did not reveal which way Payne was leaning, however, saying that style of play, coaching, playing time and geography are all factors.
He also said Payne enjoyed the much-publicized love he received at West Virginia, but took it in stride.
“He enjoyed himself there,” Winston said. “It was an unbelievable atmosphere — not just in the student section. But I’m sure if he went to a madness or whatever somewhere else it would also be exciting.”
Bruce — great update. It’s scary to see “geography” among the factors given that Arizona is the only finalist not in Payne’s backyard.
Under the “playing time” category, I hope Adreian can see how complementary his game is with Kyryl’s on both ends of the court. They could very easily be effective starting together.
I can’t imagine UA is more than a sleeper, but it’s good to still be in the hunt.
— Portland Catfan 10/28/2009 12:40 PM #
Portland Catfan – I winced a little when I read the word “geography.”
I will also say that I am relieved to hear that the “narrowed his choices down to Michigan State and West Virginia” rumor was just that.
Still hoping for another Miller (and staff) Miracle! Would be absolutely awesome!
— Doug 10/28/2009 01:59 PM #
KReal and Payne would be the best front-court combo that the Cats have had in a long time…at least since Loren Woods and Michael Wright.
— Doug 10/28/2009 02:07 PM #
I think “geography” tells us all we need to know. I think the attempt to refute the rumors was just a media thing—admittedly, based on nothing but a feeling. I think he has narrowed his choices down, and the ‘Cats aren’t going to win this one. That’s the way it goes sometimes, though. Win some, lose some. Good luck to the kid, wherever he ends up.
— Kim 10/28/2009 02:22 PM #
It’s possible that “geography” could mean that he wants to get away from home therefore this would differentiate UA from the rest of the group. Couldn’t it? Probably not but here’s hoping.
— CJ 10/28/2009 03:00 PM #
have to agree with kim — this guy has played the whole recruiting experience very close to his chest, i.e. — close to coach and family. i would be very surprised if he doesn’t choose to play closer to home.
— zangerdanger 10/28/2009 03:01 PM #
Would be a miracle if we won this one. But stranger things have happened. We’ll see.
— Parallax 10/28/2009 03:25 PM #
HUMP day….Miller has a chance with Adreian Payne.
All those reports ,of Arizona being out, were premature. Nice try.
One more night of Miller Time.
PS- Bruce: Can you shed some light on your talk with Coach Art?
Why pull in the date?
Any luck with NCAA Schuh?
— Jessie Wildcat 10/28/2009 03:51 PM #
Great Stuff…BRUCE.
HUMP DAY…Terrence Jones.
After today, UK is out of the recruiting battle for TJ.
One would expect CJ Leslie to accept the scholarship offered by Cali.
Get what?
Both TJ and CJ are at UK presently.
Not a bad set up for Cali.
CJ was a UK lean and TJ is a distance stretch.
Terrence Jones list just got reduced by one…UK is OUT.
Linda should not be surprised by this news. Maybe she had another good night sleep…
Bang Bang.
— Jessie Wildcat 10/28/2009 03:57 PM #
Well, let’s break it down with the criteria his coach laid out.
Style of Play:
MSU- Half court, physical style.
WVU – Half court, motion offense.
UK – Up tempo, dribble- drive.
Arizona – Up tempo, motion offense.
Coaching:
Izzo, Huggins, Calipari, Miller
Playing Time:
MSU – In 2009 and 2010 have/will sign 2 Centers, 2 SF, and 1 PF
WVU – Has signed a C and PF for 2009; 6 Centers/Forwards on roster for 2010
UK – 1 Center, 1 SF, 1 PF signed in 2009 (All highly rated)
Arizona – 1 Center, 1 PF signed in 2009; 1 Center on roster
Geography – Dayton to:
MSU – 262 miles
WVU – 275 miles
UK – 135 miles
Arizona – 1853 miles
Totals (1 pt for positive):
MSU – 2 pts (Coach, Geography)
WVU – 2 pts (1/2 coach, 1/2 style, 1 geography)
UK – 3 1/2 pts (Style, coach, geography, 1/2 playing time???)
Arizona – 3 pts (Style, coach, playing time)
So the winner is Kentucky??!! Arizona a close second?? I know, I know, it is not that simple. (I think he is going to West Virginia anyway!)
— SCDave 10/28/2009 04:16 PM #
PS- if you talk to Linda Marsha…
She maybe a little upset with Cali.
Looks like Cali set-up TJ. Yes, big time.
Cali knows that CJ is beleived to be a UK lean.
And to offer a scholarship to both players and only accept one commit…
The situation does not reflect good on TJ.
I can hear it know…UK accept CJ commit and must REJECT TJ. UK is no longer interested in Terrence.
The UK folks will spin it in a negative light,on TJ and Linda.
Good time for another one to reach out to Linda and coach.
— Jessie Wildcat 10/28/2009 04:19 PM #
Great info Bruce!! This does not look good but who knows……
I think we have no chance of getting TJ based on his mother’s reaction to the information that he is a cousin of Salim and Damon. She either does not like them or UA.
— MCAT 10/28/2009 04:46 PM #
I don’t see us getting Payne. But that would be awesome. I’m terrified with the thought of losing Nic Wise to injury. This one doesn’t seem serious but just the thought…Can anyone remember a similar season where the teams’ success rides so much on one player? Not to mention the streak. Hope he stays healthy all season long.
— Azakat 10/28/2009 04:54 PM #
Did we lose some posts on the “Wise Rolls Ankle” page. I was about to respond to SCDave and Portland…not seeing the posts now.
— Native B 10/28/2009 04:58 PM #
Sorry, must have been my browser.
— Native B 10/28/2009 05:06 PM #
MSU plays a “half-court” style of play? That would be news to…. well anybody that pays attention. Carry on.
— A. Payne 10/28/2009 05:10 PM #
Bruce,
Coach Art has admitted that the West Virginia ANTICS did impact Andreian Payne.
At least, they are being truthful.
Note:
From the start,Miller knew that Distance is a factor in AP’s decision criteria.
Thus, Miller has a counter strategy for over coming the Distance criteria.
Few more hours.
Bear Down
PS- Bruce, will the site have the A.Payne news conference or will it be on ESPxU ???
— Jessie Wildcat 10/28/2009 05:14 PM #
A. Payne – MSU scored 70 pts or less 20 times last year. MSU, along with the rest of the Big 10, has the reputation for a defensive, bang-around-the-basket and grind-it-out style of basketball. No one familiar with college basketball would ever consider MSU an up-tempo, transition basketball team.
Perhaps compared to Penn St., Minnesota, and Illinois who had trouble scoring 50 points in a game a few times last year MSU does seem like a real run-and-gun team.
— SCDave 10/28/2009 05:51 PM #
MSU is considered a physical half court team because Big Ten defenses slow them down and know them so well. It’s no surprise that in the tournament they are a transition fast-break team. This isn’t a secret. In fact MSU is probably the fastest and most athletic team in the country this year. If you need reassurance; go ahead and check the game tape when they literally ran right past UConn in the Final Four last year.
— DEE CEE 10/28/2009 06:54 PM #
So, if I’m following all of this … Izzo is a great coach and MSU has a lot of athletes. The Spartans can play either way, up-and-down or walk-it-up.
However, from a Payne’s-eye view, if you go to Michigan State you will have to play the whole conference season in the paint in meat-grinder games. Finally, when you get to the dance, you may get to play a few games at a higher pace.
I don’t think SCDave’s original point meant any disrespect to the Spartans. It’s a question of where does Adreian get the development opportunities and showcase for NBA PF skills.
It won’t be a surprise if he opts for Izzo, IMO. We’ll know pretty soon.
— Portland Catfan 10/28/2009 08:02 PM #
SCDave-
Pretty much entirely wrong. But like I said “carry on”. Its not exactly central to the topic.
Just for kicks though why don’t you watch some commentary from objective sources or….you know…. watch a game of MSU’s to see for yourself.
— A. Payne 10/28/2009 08:02 PM #
Portland Catfan-
Correct. MSU’s bests teams can play any style and win that way. If teams aggresively go after offensive boards or are lazy getting back, MSU will break all day. Or they will be “forced” to walk it up and win in the 60’s against teams like Iowa who are forced to slow the game down to keep it competative. Games like that can still be beneficial for the Tourney in that they reinforce the value of each possesion. The key though is that they win both ways…. well at least a good portion of the time anyway.
— A Payne 10/28/2009 08:11 PM #
Big Old Fashion Western Shoot Out- Recruiting Battle
One more day until Ray McCallum arrives.
In the First Recruiting Clash between Ben/ucla and Miller/Arizona.
When Ray Sr. acknowledges that it is best for Ray JR. to go elsewhere…then, Arizona has a slight lead over ucla.
Can Miller BUST up the West and beat ucla for Ray.
Heck YES!
Bear Down
— Jessie Wildcat 10/28/2009 08:16 PM #
IMO Izzo is one of the premier coaches in the country. His teams are always prepared to play whatever style they confront. I would like to see him go there rather than play for Huggins at WVA if comes down to either of the two.
— Adman 10/28/2009 08:17 PM #
DEE CEE – MSU’s Tournament Scoring last year: 77, 74, 67, 64, 82, 72.
One game scoring over 80 pts. against a plodding Thabeet, tired, and short handed UConn team does not make them a transition, fast-break team. They only scored over 80 pts. a total of 5 times last year. Having the ability to transition and doing so on a regular basis are two different things.
And it is not just Big Ten teams in the “down-and-dirty Big Ten”. MSU also scored 72 pts. or less against the likes of IPFW, Maryland, Wichita St., North Carolina (twice), and Texas.
MSU might run more up-tempo this year but that will not give them a reputation as a transition, fast break team. Such recognition comes from years of consistantly running such a system. Minus the last two years, Arizona is the defintion of an up-tempo, transition basketball team.
As Portland said, none of this was meant as an insult to MSU. Referring to MSU as an up-tempo, transition basketball team is like calling Arizona a strong, defensive-minded basketball team. Neither reputation sticks.
— SCDave 10/28/2009 08:21 PM #
Interesting — my initial reaction to the “geography” variable was positive. I think UA has to stack up relatively favorably on playing time and style of play, and hopefully Miller & co have made a good enough impression that they stack up somewhere close on the coaching front. Maybe I have too much Nick Foles on the brain, but my initial reaction to geography was that he may not want to spend his college years in someplace like Flint. Guess that all depends how much he wants to be close to home…
— Minnesota Catfan 10/28/2009 08:33 PM #
Bruce — Adam Zagoria picked up on your report as you probably know.
http://www.zagsblog.com/2009/10/28/leslie-jones-visit-uk-for-blue-white-scrimmage/
— Portland Catfan 10/28/2009 08:34 PM #
You sound surprised Portland Catfan…lol
Go AZ!
Did you read this one..
http://www.zagsblog.com/2009/10/28/good-news-for-the-hall-jackson-can-shoot/#comments
— Jessie Wildcat 10/28/2009 08:37 PM #
SCDave-
You’re just plain wrong on your perception of MSU and this is obviously b/c you havn’t seen any games. Thats fine but don’t act like you KNOW something without having any real knowledge. Watch the games and then comment…. doing otherwise is sheer idiocy. Oh and AP chose wisely if he wants to both WIN and play up tempo…. ;)
— A Payne 10/29/2009 01:57 PM #
Payne announces that he is headed to Michigan State….Stink!
http://www.daytondailynews.com/dayton-sports/jefferson-star-payne-picks-michigan-st-374281.html
— Doug 10/29/2009 02:28 PM #