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Award-winning columnist Tom Archdeacon — an old-school storyteller in a brand-new venue — writes about sports, the city, southwest Ohio and anything else that catches his fancy… or yours.Home > Blogs > Through the Arch > Archives > 2009 > June > 24 > Entry
COLUMN: Adreian Payne says “No” to Juwan Staten
Kentucky sent him a fancy notice made to look like it was from ESPN announcing he’d just committed to the Wildcats.
Tennessee, Adreian Payne said, has sent him “stacks and stacks of stuff.”
Ohio State just added assistant coach Jeff Boals, who has a close relationship with him and now is trying to lure the 6-foot-10 Jefferson High senior to Columbus next year.
And then there’s the University of Dayton, which, among other things, has Juwan Staten, the UD-bound guard, doing its bidding.
“We’ll both be out with our buddies and I never know quite when it’s gonna happen, but I do know it IS going to happen,” Payne laughed. “Pretty soon Wan will go, ‘C’mon, go with me (to UD).”
When it comes to Payne, Staten is like a travelling salesman because he’s also pitching Oak Hill Academy, the national prep school in Virginia he’s transferred to out of Thurgood Marshall High.
“Oak Hill says they don’t recruit, but they do,” Payne said. “They have Wan calling me a lot trying to get me to go with him. I looked into it, but I don’t see the point for me.”
This is what’s its like to be one of the best uncommitted players in the nation.
Payne told people at the NBA Top 100 camp that he took part in last week in Virginia, that he’s already received a dozen scholarship offers. In its prep prospect rankings, rivals.com rates him the eighth best player in the class of 2010. Staten is No 59.
Payne was at Daequan Cook’s basketball camp Tuesday, June 23, when the Portland Trail Blazers 7-foot center Greg Oden — Cook’s pal and former OSU teammate — walked in.
Soon Payne and Oden were talking. “You playing out here today?” Oden asked.
Payne shook his head and camp director Albert Powell explained: “I won’t let him. I don’t want to risk anything. He has too much at stake.”
Over the next two weeks Payne travels to Phoenix to take part in the camp run Suns’ big man A’mare Stoudemire and then San Diego for LeBron James’ camp. The rest of the summer he’ll travel the country with his All Ohio Red AAU team, which includes Staten and the OSU bound pair, Jared Sullinger and Jordan Sibert.
After Oden met with Payne, he recalled another Dayton-bred talent he met for the first time. He was playing for an Indiana AAU team coached by Mike Conley Sr., who brought the players to Dayton’s McFarland Junior High for some workouts.
“We already had Aaron Pogue on the team and then they brought this other kid in for a tryout who was supposed to be pretty good,” Oden smiled. “I figured he was just some street ball player.”
Cook remembered that meeting, too. “I walked in for my tryout and the first guy I saw was Greg. It’s pretty rare to see a 7-footer when you’re as young as we were, but it didn’t bother me.”
Oden laughed: “As soon as we started playing, he just killed everybody. Right then I knew Dayton has some pretty good talent.”
Adreian Payne is now proving nothing has changed.
Permalink | Comments (20) | Post your comment | Categories: University of Dayton Flyers
Comments
By Mike
July 2, 2009 10:30 AM | Link to this
Gregory can recruit but he can’t coach. I’ve seen junior high teams with better offensive sets and in-bounds plays. Didn’t OSU beat UD by double figures the last time they played in 2008. At OSU, you can play against Mich St., Illinois, Purdue, etc. At UD, you can play against UMass, Rhode Island, and Richmond.By Booboo
June 27, 2009 2:36 AM | Link to this
im a fan of both osu and ud…. i love watching both succeed…but with all the one and done player from osu and struggle in the nba…ud is the place for payne… ud has gotten better and better with recruiting under gregory and the flyers continue to improve and become a team nobody wants to play at osu… i just dont see him as a buckeye… stay home and play for the flyers!!!By Shawn
June 25, 2009 3:47 PM | Link to this
Anyone that truly watches basketball knows that with Dayton’s ability to play lights-out defense, the Flyers would SMOKE the Buckeyes. Not even close. Remember recruits: OSU Basketball is just, well … boring. (Go Bucks! We lost to WISCONSIN 35-34! Zzzzz…)By Shawn
June 25, 2009 3:47 PM | Link to this
Anyone that truly watches basketball knows that with Dayton’s ability to play lights-out defense, the Flyers would SMOKE the Buckeyes. Not even close. Remember recruits: OSU Basketball is just, well … boring. (Go Bucks! We lost to WISCONSIN 35-34! Zzzzz…)By Wildcat98
June 25, 2009 8:30 AM | Link to this
go to the university of kentucky a school that has a history of excellence come be a part the big blue nation and a tradition!!!!!By Wildcat98
June 25, 2009 8:29 AM | Link to this
go to the university of kentucky a school that has a history of excellence come be a part the big blue nation and a tradition!!!!!By Wildcat98
June 25, 2009 8:29 AM | Link to this
go to the university of kentucky a school that has a history of excellence come be a part the big blue nation and a tradition!!!!!By JB
June 25, 2009 2:05 AM | Link to this
Get Real,the 1 Final Four doesn’t count because you all cheated,that’s the only way they can get there. CHEATERS!!By John
June 24, 2009 9:55 PM | Link to this
Ohio St, Dayton, or Kentucky. Come on it doesn’t take a Genius to figure that one out! Come to UK Payne and win a Title!!!!!By Brandon
June 24, 2009 9:51 PM | Link to this
Payne you need to head to Lexington, KY. Home of the Greatest Basketball Program EVER!!!!! Be part of what will be another #1 recruiting class in 2010By Willbe8Titles
June 24, 2009 9:42 PM | Link to this
Payne will look great in Kentucky blue. He can help the Cats win #9 in 2011By Willbe8Titles
June 24, 2009 9:42 PM | Link to this
Payne will look great in Kentucky blue. He can help the Cats win #9 in 2011By Keith
June 24, 2009 8:23 PM | Link to this
If the kid wants to play big time basketball he will get out of Ohio and stay away from the Big 10.By Mr. Sports
June 24, 2009 5:10 PM | Link to this
Basketball is a second class sport at Ohio State. I know though we should all bow to their mighty presence.By get real
June 24, 2009 4:55 PM | Link to this
Sorry UD fans, OSU has been to 2 count with me 2 final fours this decade. Whens the last time UD sniffed a final 4? Your daddy wasn’t even born then. Get real pathetic morons.By Rudy
June 24, 2009 12:26 PM | Link to this
Hey Buckeye - Refresh my memory…Who did OSU lose to in the NCAA tourney in March. Oh yeah, and how far did UD get in the tourney? Guaranteed UD is ranked higher in the preseason polls this upcoming season than OSU.By catintn
June 24, 2009 12:06 PM | Link to this
OMG, everyone bow down to the mighty mighty Buckeyes- are you kidding me? What have they done outside the tear Conley and Oden were there? NOTHING!!!!!! UDBy Oak Hill Fan
June 24, 2009 10:39 AM | Link to this
…this kid flatters himself if he thinks he could just waltz in to Oak Hill if he chose…they’re pickey…turned down Kevin Garnett twice…Payne’s attitude tells me he wouldn’t be a good fit and need sto move on.By jeff
June 24, 2009 8:50 AM | Link to this
I bet it was silly when they were trying to get staten too, oh yeah thats right staten signed with UD. Mr. Buckeye lets not forget the bucks lost to a mid major last year. I ama UD fan and I like the buckeyes too but you have to give UD credit for getting some of the kids they are getting. If they can start keeping some of the local kids they can be right there with Xavier and OSUBy Buckeye
June 24, 2009 7:47 AM | Link to this
It is silly for a mid-major like UD to be lobbying constantly for players. They are trying to fool players. Sad.