Spartans Land Jefferson's Payne ; the 6-Foot-10 Senior, Ranked No. 20 Overall by Rivals.Com, Is First Area Recruit to Pick Michigan State Since Andre Hutson in 1997.

Summary

---

When Adreian Payne first tried to call Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo to make his basketball commitment Wednesday night, Oct. 28, the Jefferson High School senior couldn't reach him. Then the 6-foot-10, 215-pounder, rated by Rivals.com as the fourth-best center in his class nationally, got the coach at a Thursday morning meeting. "He said he was about to jump up and down," Payne said. Payne, ranked No. 20 overall in his class by Rivals, announced his highly anticipated decision to play at Michigan State during a broadcast on ESPNU that was taped earlier in the day at the studios of WHIO-TV. Talking to the voice in his ear, Payne pulled a white Michigan State hat out of the pocket of his sweatshirt and placed it on his head.

With that, other top contenders West Virginia, Arizona and Kentucky were dropped, and Payne started his path to East Lansing, Mich. He, like all recruits, can first sign a national letter of intent on Nov. 11. Payne informed the University of Dayton last summer he would not be a Flyer.

See the full content of this document

Extract

---

Spartans Land Jefferson's Payne ; the 6-Foot-10 Senior, Ranked No. 20 Overall by Rivals.Com, Is First Area Recruit to Pick Michigan State Since Andre Hutson in 1997.

Payne is the first area basketball recruit to...

See the full content of this document

---