Westminster basketball: Payne fitting in nicely with Griffins

Sporting a 9-0 record, Westminster is off to its best start since Tommy Connor helped revive the men's basketball program a decade ago. The Griffins are not just winning, but are also beating opponents by impressive margins.

One reason Westminster has taken such a dominant turn, even by its own lofty standards, is senior transfer Geoff Payne.

The former Alta star leads the Griffins with 19.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. His field goal percentage, 64.7 percent, is third most accurate on the team. Most impressively, Payne has piled up these impressive numbers while playing only 26.2 minutes per game.

"He's a dominant player," senior forward Danny Stosich said. "You can always count on him."

Payne left Southern Utah for Westminster, an NAIA school, after the NCAA denied his request to extend his eligibility another season. Losing him proved to be a huge blow for SUU. He had been the T-Birds' primary scorer in 2007-08 and Payne's per game average of 21.9 points ranked second overall in the Summit League.

Payne knew much was expected of him given his Division I playing experience and he came in seeking to fill whatever role Connor asked him to embrace.

"I just come to practice every day trying to constantly improve and get better," Payne said. "I try to do anything I can to make the team that I'm on the best team that it can be."

The senior quickly won over teammates with his humble attitude. It would have been natural to wonder how a newcomer like himself could co-exist with a team where the bulk of returning contributors had carved out clearly defined roles over a couple of seasons.

But chemistry is a strong point, chiefly because Payne works to be one of the guys.

"What's the most impressive thing about him is he doesn't act like a 'great player,"' senior guard Jordan Jacobs said. "He's unselfish. He's a leader and he cares about the team."

Payne is simply thrilled to be on a basketball court. For a player who originally worried his basketball days were at a premature end in Cedar City, starting anew at Westminster feels like a nice bookend to his college career.

"Anytime you get a chance to continue playing the sport you love with great coaches and great teammates — it's a great feeling," Payne said.

THE WRIGHT STUFF: SLCC freshman D.J. Wright continues to show why he was coveted by LSU coming out of high school.

Wright found plenty of ways to dominate in a pair of Bruin victories in the Western Wyoming Tournament at Rock Springs. over the weekend. He averaged 26.5 points and 12 rebounds to help SLCC move to 8-1.