Gary Payton II Signs NLI With Men’s Hoops
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CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State men’s basketball head coach Craig Robinson announced Monday that Gary Payton II, the son of Beaver legend Gary Payton, has signed a National Letter of Intent to join the program for the 2014-15 season.
Payton II, a 6-foot-3, 175-pound guard from Las Vegas, Nev., currently attends Salt Lake Community College where he is averaging 11.0 points and 7.4 rebounds, while shooting 56.4 percent from the field, through the team’s first five games.
His father played at Oregon State from 1987-90 and led the Beavers to three NCAA Tournament appearances, while becoming the school’s career leader in points (2,172), assists (938) and steals (321). He was a consensus All-American in 1990 when he was selected Sports Illustrated National Player of the Year.
“You don’t want to say one signing is more exciting than another, but given the family connection and the relationship we have with the Payton’s, it’s so nice to be able to get another Gary Payton on the roster,” Robinson said. “Gary Payton II is going to be a terrific player for us. He’s not Gary Sr. and we won’t be asking him to score as many as Gary did, but from a defense standpoint and a sort of helping your team win, he’s going to do a lot for this program.”
Payton II attended Spring Valley High School in Las Vegas, Nev., before attending Westwind Prep School in Arizona for a year. He averaged 9.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.9 steals per game as a freshman guard at Salt Lake Community College.
The elder Payton, who was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this past September, was nicknamed “The Glove” for his defensive prowess. That’s why people call his son “The Mitten”, a nickname that should stick with the Oregon State faithful.
Click on the following YouTube link to watch highlights of Payton II: