Murray State University Athletics
Photo by: Dave Winder-Murray State Athletics
2020 Murray State Hall Of Fame Reveal – Cameron Payne
7/8/2020 7:43:00 AM | General, Men's Basketball, Hall of Fame
Murray State Athletics is proud to introduce the class of 2020 of the MSU Hall of Fame.
The 2020 class is being released in alphabetical order on GoRacers.com daily.
Here is the list those who have been announced so far.
John Beaton - Baseball (1965-66)
Jenna Bradley of softball (2010-11)
Tara Isbell of soccer (2007-10)
Coach Billy Kennedy - Men's Basketball (2006-11)
Jackie Mounts - Women's Basketball (1975-79)
Nick & Patrick Newcomb - Men's Golf (2007-10 & 2009-13)
The eighth member of the 2020 class features Cameron Payne, the 42nd inductee from men's basketball.
Playing two amazing seasons for the Racers (2013-15), Payne's career was like a shooting star as he used a unique combination of talent, durability and magnetism.
Arriving at MSU as a freshman in the fall of 2013, the Racers were beginning life without all-star Isaiah Canaan. Payne proved to be the right player at the right time out of Lausanne Collegiate in the Memphis area. He became the starting point guard for Coach Steve Prohm for the season opener and never
looked back. Payne set an Ohio Valley Conference record with nine Freshman of the Week honors on his way to becoming the OVC Freshman of the Year and the Kyle Macy National Freshman of the Year award finalist by CollegeInsider.com.
MSU had not seen a freshman produce like Payne in a long time. He joined Lamont Sleets (1979-80) as the only MSU freshman to score 500 points in a season. His 185 assists were second on the MSU single-season list.
As a sophomore in the 2014-15 season, Payne helped the Racers to an OVC record 25-game winning streak. Payne became the OVC Player of the Year after averaging 20.2 points (13th NCAA) and 6.0 assists per game. He was the second-fastest in MSU history to reach 1,000 career points in only 57 games. He scored 707 points to become the second player at Murray State to reach 700. His 209 assists made him the second to reach 200. 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.
As the victories and awards piled up, it became apparent Payne was going to have the opportunity to become a top NBA selection. He became the first sophomore and just the fourth player from the OVC to leave school early for the NBA. On June 25, 2015, the Oklahoma City Thunder selected Payne in the first round of the NBA Draft as the 14th overall pick.
In 2020, Payne is into his seventh professional season and recently signed to play for the Phoenix Suns of the NBA. Since being drafted by the Thunder in 2015, Payne has also played for the Bulls, Raptors and Cavaliers.
The 2020 class marks the 38th class since the MSU Hall of Fame was started in 1965 and it showcases 10 inductees from seven sports. Combined, the class produced 31 OVC awards of all kinds, including 11 annual awards including annual awards including coach, player, freshman, defensive or athlete of the Year.
Inductions for the Murray State Hall of Fame will occur on Nov. 13, 2020.
The 2020 class is being released in alphabetical order on GoRacers.com daily.
Here is the list those who have been announced so far.
John Beaton - Baseball (1965-66)
Jenna Bradley of softball (2010-11)
Tara Isbell of soccer (2007-10)
Coach Billy Kennedy - Men's Basketball (2006-11)
Jackie Mounts - Women's Basketball (1975-79)
Nick & Patrick Newcomb - Men's Golf (2007-10 & 2009-13)
The eighth member of the 2020 class features Cameron Payne, the 42nd inductee from men's basketball.
Playing two amazing seasons for the Racers (2013-15), Payne's career was like a shooting star as he used a unique combination of talent, durability and magnetism.
Arriving at MSU as a freshman in the fall of 2013, the Racers were beginning life without all-star Isaiah Canaan. Payne proved to be the right player at the right time out of Lausanne Collegiate in the Memphis area. He became the starting point guard for Coach Steve Prohm for the season opener and never
looked back. Payne set an Ohio Valley Conference record with nine Freshman of the Week honors on his way to becoming the OVC Freshman of the Year and the Kyle Macy National Freshman of the Year award finalist by CollegeInsider.com.MSU had not seen a freshman produce like Payne in a long time. He joined Lamont Sleets (1979-80) as the only MSU freshman to score 500 points in a season. His 185 assists were second on the MSU single-season list.
As a sophomore in the 2014-15 season, Payne helped the Racers to an OVC record 25-game winning streak. Payne became the OVC Player of the Year after averaging 20.2 points (13th NCAA) and 6.0 assists per game. He was the second-fastest in MSU history to reach 1,000 career points in only 57 games. He scored 707 points to become the second player at Murray State to reach 700. His 209 assists made him the second to reach 200. 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.
As the victories and awards piled up, it became apparent Payne was going to have the opportunity to become a top NBA selection. He became the first sophomore and just the fourth player from the OVC to leave school early for the NBA. On June 25, 2015, the Oklahoma City Thunder selected Payne in the first round of the NBA Draft as the 14th overall pick.
In 2020, Payne is into his seventh professional season and recently signed to play for the Phoenix Suns of the NBA. Since being drafted by the Thunder in 2015, Payne has also played for the Bulls, Raptors and Cavaliers.
The 2020 class marks the 38th class since the MSU Hall of Fame was started in 1965 and it showcases 10 inductees from seven sports. Combined, the class produced 31 OVC awards of all kinds, including 11 annual awards including annual awards including coach, player, freshman, defensive or athlete of the Year.
Inductions for the Murray State Hall of Fame will occur on Nov. 13, 2020.
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