Payne Named PSUAC First-Team All-Conference

State College, Pa. – With the semifinal round of the Penn State University Athletic Conference playoffs beginning tonight, the PSUAC released it’s annual Men’s Basketball All-Conference list. After an incredible four-year career at PSUGA, senior Jordon Payne (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport HS) cracks the list for the fourth straight season being named a First-Team West Division All-Conference player. He was also a candidate for the PSUAC West Player of the Year Award but fell short to PSU-Mont Alto’s Jalen Smith.

It was another impressive year for Payne as he once again led the offense averaging just under 18 points a game in 25 games this season. He appeared in all but one game for PSUGA and started 24 of those 25 games. He leaves the PSUGA Men’s Basketball program holding eight different program records as well as being the school’s second all-time leading scorer with 1760 points in four seasons. He is just 86 points behind Anthony Rivers, who played at PSUGA in the early 2000’s and racked up 1846 points.

Payne also found himself once again among the conference leaders in scoring. He finished fourth in the conference averaging 18.8 PPG and was in the top 20 in both three-point shooting percentage (37.7%) and Assists (75). His 75 assists were a new career high for Payne and his 452 points were the second most he scored in a single season. Payne is highly regarded as one of the best pure shooters in the conference and it shows on the stat sheet.

Payne also has the unique stat of being the only player in PSUGA history to make the playoffs in all four years of his career. Since he came to PSUGA in the fall of 2014, he has been a fixture in the PSUGA starting lineup. His biggest season offensively came in his junior year when he scored 558 points. He has also been to two different United States Collegiate Athletic Association National Tournaments.

Now with the season over, PSUGA will look to the future and try to find someone to replace the scoring threat that Payne presented. With a talented group on the bench all hungry to play, it will be time for one of them to shine and start going after the records that Payne has set before them. As one era of Men’s Basketball comes to an end at PSUGA another is beginning as they try to keep the winning tradition alive.