Record Breaking Week Earns Payne Player of the Week
After his record setting week, Jordon Payne has been named this week's PSUAC player of the week. He led his team to a 2-0 record while breaking the single game record with a 45 point effort in a 117-83 win over Scranton
McKeesport, PA. – After a week in which he broke two Penn State Greater Allegheny Men’s Basketball program records, PSUGA senior Jordon Payne (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport HS) has been named this week’s Penn State University Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball player of the week. Payne helped lead his team to a perfect 2-0 week that extended the PSUGA win streak to six straight games.
After a bit of a slow start to the 2018-2019 season, Payne has turned it on and it came to a head this week. It started out with a 26-point effort from the senior against PSU-Mont Alto in what would be an 83-77 win that brought PSUGA to a tie at the top of the PSUAC West Division. After his team fell behind 39-33 at half, Payne turned it on hitting 19 of his 26 points in the half as part of a 50-point outburst that gave PSUGA the win.
Then, Payne would take his game to another level in the second game of the week leading PSUGA to a 117-83 win. Payne started off the game red hot hitting eight three-pointers and putting up 24 points to put his team out in front 61-43. He would go on to break the single game three-point record, a record that he set last season, hitting 14 in the game as well as the single game scoring record finishing with 45 points.
The wins would help PSUGA keep pace with the top of the division and maintain their tie for first a top the division with PSU-Mont Alto. Payne has been the leader for PSUGA in each of his four seasons on the team and he went above and beyond this past week to help lead them to victory.
While Payne’s performance looks exceptional around the league, it is something that head coach Tyler Care has come to expect from his leader.
“[Payne] is the best shooter I have ever coached at any level and is one of the best players I have ever coached,” said Care. “I think he is capable of putting up those numbers or similar every single night. There are very few people who can do what he does with the basketball.”
Payne is the second member of the PSUGA Men’s Basketball team to be recognized as Player of the Week. Earlier in the season, teammate Kenny Rouse won the award during the opening week of the season. Payne is the seventh PSUGA athlete to receive weekly honors from the conference and the fourth during the basketball season.
Payne and his team will return to action when they go on the road to face Penn State York on Friday at 7 p.m.