Murray State University Athletics
Former Racers Morant & Payne Ready To Return To NBA Action
7/31/2020 9:42:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Murray State Basketball fans are excited to see two recent stars return to the NBA court this weekend in Orlando, Florida, when the league begins staging seeding games for the postseason.
Ja Morant is ready to go in the seeding games with the Memphis Grizzlies and Cameron Payne with the Phoenix Suns.
Both former Racers play Friday (July 31). Memphis takes on the Portland Trailblazers Friday on Fox Sports Southeast and NBA TV. Payne plays with the Suns against the Washington Wizards on Fox Sports Arizona. Both games tip at 3 p.m. CT.
Most experts say Morant is the favorite to become the NBA Rookie of the Year. He has played in 59 games this season and scored 17.9 points per game to go with 6.9 assists per game.
Payne is playing his first games on the NBA level in the 2019-20 season. He last played in NBA games in the 2018-19 season for three teams. He played 40 games with the Toronto Raptors, 31 games with the Chicago Bulls and nine games with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
>Payne is a part of the 10-person class to be inducted into the Murray State Athletics Hall of Fame in November. Arriving at MSU as a freshman in the fall of 2013, the 2014 OVC Freshman of the Year and the Kyle Macy National Freshman of the Year award finalist by CollegeInsider.com. Payne joined Lamont Sleets (1979-80) as the only MSU freshman to score 500 points in a season. Morant joined them in 2019 when he set the MSU single-season mark with 808 points. In the 2014-15 season, Payne led the Racers to an OVC record 25-game winning streak and became the OVC Player of the Year and was the second-fastest in MSU history to reach 1,000 career points in only 57 games. Following the season, he was named a third-team All-America by CBSSports.com, an honorable mention All-America by the Associated Press and he was named the Lute Olson National Player of the Year by CollegeInsider.com. Additionally, the OVC honored Payne with the OVC Athlete of the Year Award as the top student-athlete among all sports in the league.
Morant's No. 12, retired at Murray State last February, enjoyed a 65-game run with the Racers that made him the program's top assister in only two seasons (2017-19). Morant earned first-team consensus All-American honors, the Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award from CollegeInsider.com and was a finalist for the Oscar Robertson, Naismith and Wooden National Player of the Year honors.
https://goracers.com/news/2020/7/31/mens-basketball-former-racers-morant-payne-ready-to-return-to-nba-action.aspx
OVC RELEASE ON NBA CONNECTIONS
Four former Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball players are on NBA rosters as the league restarts its season in Orlando on Thursday.
The players include former Southeast Missouri guard Antonius Cleveland (Dallas), former Tennessee State forward Robert Covington (Houston), former Murray State guard Ja Morant (Memphis) and former Murray State guard Cameron Payne (Phoenix).
Cleveland has played in six games in 2019-20 for the Mavericks. He began the season on a two-way contract with the Mavericks and their G-League partner the Texas Legends after playing with the team in 2017-18 and spending last season with the Golden State Warriors G-League partner, the Santa Cruz Warriors. Cleveland was undrafted after finishing his career Southeast Missouri in 2017. He was the Redhawks leading scorer as a junior (15.2 ppg) and a senior (16.6 ppg).
Covington began this season, his seventh in the NBA, with the Minnesota Timberwolves before being traded to the Houston Rockets in February. He played 48 games with Minnesota and 14 with the Rockets before the season was suspended. Overall he is averaging 12.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 1.3 blocks and 1.2 assists/game in 2019-20. After going undrafted out of Tennessee State, Covington played in the G-League before playing seven games with the Houston Rockets in 2013-14. He then played four full seasons and part of a fifth with the Philadelphia 76ers before being traded to Minnesota and eventually going back to Houston.
Morant, the favorite to win the NBA's Rookie of the Year Award, averaged 17.6 points, 6.9 assists and 3.5 assists/game in 59 contests for the Grizzlies. He became just the second first-team consensus All-American in OVC history after finishing the season with 331 assists (the sixth-most in NCAA single-season history) and averaging 24.5 points and 10.0 assists/game (making him the first player to average 20/10 in a season since the NCAA began to officially recognize assists in 1983-84). Morant also won the Bob Cousy Award as the nation's top point guard and earned the Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award from CollegeInsider.com while also being a finalist for the Oscar Robertson, Naismith and Wooden National Player of the Year honors. Morant was picked No. 2 overall by Memphis, making him the third Lottery Pick from the OVC during the Lottery Era (since 1985).
Payne was on the Raptors rosters in the preseason before being cut and splitting time between China and the G-League. He signed a contract with the Suns at the end of June. Payne was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 14th overall pick (last selection of the lottery) in 2015. At Murray State Payne was named the 2014-15 OVC Male Athlete of the Year after averaging 20.2 points and 6.0 assists/game for a national ranking of 13th and 15th. He arrived at 1,000 career points in only 57 games, the second-fastest in school history. In his two seasons at MSU, Payne helped the Racers go 52-17 (.753) overall and 29-3 (.906) in the OVC. Following his final season he was named a third-team All-American by CBSSports.com, an honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press and the Lute Olson National Player of the Year by CollegeInsider.com.
In addition former Belmont standout and two-time OVC Player of the Year Evan Bradds is a video assistant with the Boston Celtics while former Murray State All-American Ron "Popeye" Jones is an assistant coach with the Indiana Pacers.
Former OVC Players on NBA Orlando Restart Rosters
Antonius Cleveland, Dallas Mavericks
Robert Covington, Minnesota Timberwolves
Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
Cameron Payne, Phoenix Suns
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Ja Morant is ready to go in the seeding games with the Memphis Grizzlies and Cameron Payne with the Phoenix Suns.
Both former Racers play Friday (July 31). Memphis takes on the Portland Trailblazers Friday on Fox Sports Southeast and NBA TV. Payne plays with the Suns against the Washington Wizards on Fox Sports Arizona. Both games tip at 3 p.m. CT.
Most experts say Morant is the favorite to become the NBA Rookie of the Year. He has played in 59 games this season and scored 17.9 points per game to go with 6.9 assists per game.
Payne is playing his first games on the NBA level in the 2019-20 season. He last played in NBA games in the 2018-19 season for three teams. He played 40 games with the Toronto Raptors, 31 games with the Chicago Bulls and nine games with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Ja Morant will be one of the most 👀 stories of the next 2 weeks as the Grizz fight to stay at 8th in the West. We discussed whether the play-in game system is fair (he says no), how motivating that is for Memphis (very) & how he always thought it'd be him, not Zion, winning ROY. pic.twitter.com/GPK3XBVlwM
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) July 30, 2020
>Payne is a part of the 10-person class to be inducted into the Murray State Athletics Hall of Fame in November. Arriving at MSU as a freshman in the fall of 2013, the 2014 OVC Freshman of the Year and the Kyle Macy National Freshman of the Year award finalist by CollegeInsider.com. Payne joined Lamont Sleets (1979-80) as the only MSU freshman to score 500 points in a season. Morant joined them in 2019 when he set the MSU single-season mark with 808 points. In the 2014-15 season, Payne led the Racers to an OVC record 25-game winning streak and became the OVC Player of the Year and was the second-fastest in MSU history to reach 1,000 career points in only 57 games. Following the season, he was named a third-team All-America by CBSSports.com, an honorable mention All-America by the Associated Press and he was named the Lute Olson National Player of the Year by CollegeInsider.com. Additionally, the OVC honored Payne with the OVC Athlete of the Year Award as the top student-athlete among all sports in the league.
Morant's No. 12, retired at Murray State last February, enjoyed a 65-game run with the Racers that made him the program's top assister in only two seasons (2017-19). Morant earned first-team consensus All-American honors, the Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award from CollegeInsider.com and was a finalist for the Oscar Robertson, Naismith and Wooden National Player of the Year honors.
https://goracers.com/news/2020/7/31/mens-basketball-former-racers-morant-payne-ready-to-return-to-nba-action.aspx
OVC RELEASE ON NBA CONNECTIONS
Four former Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball players are on NBA rosters as the league restarts its season in Orlando on Thursday.
The players include former Southeast Missouri guard Antonius Cleveland (Dallas), former Tennessee State forward Robert Covington (Houston), former Murray State guard Ja Morant (Memphis) and former Murray State guard Cameron Payne (Phoenix).
Cleveland has played in six games in 2019-20 for the Mavericks. He began the season on a two-way contract with the Mavericks and their G-League partner the Texas Legends after playing with the team in 2017-18 and spending last season with the Golden State Warriors G-League partner, the Santa Cruz Warriors. Cleveland was undrafted after finishing his career Southeast Missouri in 2017. He was the Redhawks leading scorer as a junior (15.2 ppg) and a senior (16.6 ppg).
Covington began this season, his seventh in the NBA, with the Minnesota Timberwolves before being traded to the Houston Rockets in February. He played 48 games with Minnesota and 14 with the Rockets before the season was suspended. Overall he is averaging 12.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 1.3 blocks and 1.2 assists/game in 2019-20. After going undrafted out of Tennessee State, Covington played in the G-League before playing seven games with the Houston Rockets in 2013-14. He then played four full seasons and part of a fifth with the Philadelphia 76ers before being traded to Minnesota and eventually going back to Houston.
Morant, the favorite to win the NBA's Rookie of the Year Award, averaged 17.6 points, 6.9 assists and 3.5 assists/game in 59 contests for the Grizzlies. He became just the second first-team consensus All-American in OVC history after finishing the season with 331 assists (the sixth-most in NCAA single-season history) and averaging 24.5 points and 10.0 assists/game (making him the first player to average 20/10 in a season since the NCAA began to officially recognize assists in 1983-84). Morant also won the Bob Cousy Award as the nation's top point guard and earned the Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award from CollegeInsider.com while also being a finalist for the Oscar Robertson, Naismith and Wooden National Player of the Year honors. Morant was picked No. 2 overall by Memphis, making him the third Lottery Pick from the OVC during the Lottery Era (since 1985).
Payne was on the Raptors rosters in the preseason before being cut and splitting time between China and the G-League. He signed a contract with the Suns at the end of June. Payne was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 14th overall pick (last selection of the lottery) in 2015. At Murray State Payne was named the 2014-15 OVC Male Athlete of the Year after averaging 20.2 points and 6.0 assists/game for a national ranking of 13th and 15th. He arrived at 1,000 career points in only 57 games, the second-fastest in school history. In his two seasons at MSU, Payne helped the Racers go 52-17 (.753) overall and 29-3 (.906) in the OVC. Following his final season he was named a third-team All-American by CBSSports.com, an honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press and the Lute Olson National Player of the Year by CollegeInsider.com.
In addition former Belmont standout and two-time OVC Player of the Year Evan Bradds is a video assistant with the Boston Celtics while former Murray State All-American Ron "Popeye" Jones is an assistant coach with the Indiana Pacers.
Former OVC Players on NBA Orlando Restart Rosters
Antonius Cleveland, Dallas Mavericks
Robert Covington, Minnesota Timberwolves
Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
Cameron Payne, Phoenix Suns
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