DaytonDailyNews.com

JEFFERSON TWP., Montgomery County — Adreian Payne had a new tiger on his right forearm and a basketball with his initials and his playing number, 33, on his left shoulder.

He was proud of his new decorations, so he twisted and turned his longer-than-normal body to show them off. He laughed, which for him is more of a quick burst than a steady chuckle.

"Don't tell anybody," Payne said. "I told everyone they're real."

The fake tattoos were one part of this unusual character, considering his basketball success and new-found fame. Even though some of the nation's best college coaches are filling up his voicemail and most feel he has a real shot at playing professionally, Payne carries an air of innocence and seems oblivious to the fast-paced and basketball-centered life that often surrounds top recruits.

The tattoos, for instance. Payne, a 6-foot-9, 210-pound forward, feels it goes against his church messages to commit to real ones, even though he has the desire. Many of the players he faces as part of his hectic and successful AAU summer schedule with the nationally known All-Ohio Red squad have them, but Payne doesn't seem to feel the same pressure of the pack.

He'll soon feel more pressure.

Entering his junior year, Payne is ranked the 14th-best recruit nationally in his class. He plays for a Division IV high school, which will likely cause some to suggest transferring to a bigger program (Payne says he will graduate from Jefferson). After a slow freshman year, he must work to qualify academically for whatever scholarship he takes (he says he's in good shape).

That scholarship could come from one of the country's best programs, although there's also pressure to stay local. Juwan Staten, his AAU teammate and a Marshall High School guard who has committed to Dayton, joked that he mentions the Flyers to Payne every day. Maryland, Florida, Ohio State, West Virginia and Xavier are also heavily in the mix. Georgetown has called more than once.

"I think this kid could be the best player to come out of the Dayton area," said 14-year Jefferson coach Art Winston, a Dunbar graduate. "He has a tremendous work ethic and he's such a great player.

"He's got an all-around game, 6-9, can handle the basketball, shoot the basketball. He has the potential to be one of the best players to come out of the area."

Quick study

Jerry Watson, who runs the highly successful All-Ohio AAU basketball program, was scouting at the Trotwood holiday tournament two seasons ago when he saw Payne walking through the crowd. He hadn't the first idea who he was.

How was it, he wondered, that this 6-7 kid just mysteriously appeared without anyone in the basketball world seeming to know much about him?

Watson quickly collected profile information on Payne. He grew up in Jefferson, had played organized basketball only since the sixth grade, and was still not amazing at it.

"When I first started playing, I couldn't dribble, I couldn't shoot. I wasn't good," Payne said. "I could just always run the floor, so I would rebound."

Watson quizzed further. Payne said his mother died of a heart attack when he was in the eighth grade, he lived with his grandmother, and his father lived nearby.

Sizing him up, Watson obviously noticed the size 15 shoes and long arms. Most people meeting Payne also pick up on his gentle nature.

"The kid caught me," Watson said. "He had a great smile."

Watson already claimed one of the country's best AAU teams in Payne's age group, which included Staten. He immediately invited Payne to try out, hoping that there was even a speck of athletic ability with the obvious first-look attributes.

As Payne joined the local and national AAU basketball scene, others wondered why they didn't already know about this player who had the amazing ability to run the floor as a big man, could shoot from the outside and caused havoc on defense.

"I just wondered," said Bill Staten, Juwan's father and the Marshall coach, "where the heck he was hiding."

Or, as Juwan put it, "It was like, 'Where did he come from?' I didn't see anybody that tall walking around I didn't know. I thought he might have just moved here."

An old soul

Payne, in fact, grew up in the area, attending Jefferson schools throughout his academic life. As a child, he and his friends had a play bike club and, by his definition, acted out. But, as with other things, Payne's definitions often don't match those of his peers.

He described a popular childhood prank: "You knock on someone's door, then run. We were baaad."

When asked if he's trying to stay away from trouble, Payne nods. But he doesn't mention drugs, alcohol or crime. His biggest concern is people smoking, so he'll stay far away from that.

He doesn't even watch all that much basketball.

"My AAU coach said I could be like Kevin Garnett," Payne said, and then turned to an observer. "Doesn't he play for the Celtics?"

Instead of viewing the games on television, Payne is more likely to be at Splash Moraine, a favorite spot. Or he's doing the laundry and grumbling about it. Or he's helping an uncle build an outdoor patio as part of his home-improvement business.

"He's always asking me to go bowling," Juwan Staten said.

But since beginning school basketball in the sixth grade and AAU basketball last summer, Payne has also committed much of his time to improving his game. It was at a recent tournament that he received the airbrushed tattoos.

"I could never do it for real," Payne said. "I'm scared of needles."

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389 or knagel@DaytonDailyNews.com

When he'll hear from coaches

The NCAA Division I men's basketball recruiting schedule for the rest of 2008:

Aug. 1 to Sept. 8 — Quiet Period

Sept. 9 to Oct. 5 — Contact Period

Oct. 6 to Nov. 9 — Evaluation Period

Nov. 10-13 — Dead Period

Nov. 14 to Dec. 23 — Evaluation Period

Dec. 24-26 — Dead Period

Dec. 27-31 — Evaluation Period

NCAA definitions

Contact period: Permissible for authorized athletic department staff members to make in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts and evaluations.

Dead period: Not permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts or evaluations on- or off-campus or permit official or unofficial visits.

Evaluation period: Permissible for authorized athletics department staff to be involved in off-campus activities to assess academic qualifications and playing abilities. No in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts with a prospective student-athlete are permitted.

Quiet period: Permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts only on the member institution's campus.