Center Omar Payne Selects Florida

College Basketball

Center Omar Payne Selects Florida

The Florida Gators got another top 50 recruit when center Omar Payne took to Twitter, revealing his future team.

Florida men’s basketball head coach Mike White now has a point guard and a center ranked within the top 50 heading to Gainesville. The Osceola High big man averaged 19 points a game his junior year, before switching to the Montverde Academy. Payne did have visits set up with Ohio State and Louisiana State but went with Florida following an official visit. He also met with Florida State.

Postseason Production

Payne enters the season as the nation’s 10th best center and 35th overall player. He does have one state championship with Osceola during his sophomore season but fell short in the semifinals a year ago. In the loss, Payne did produce solid numbers while battling foul trouble. Payne’s most important stat line was on defense, recording four blocked shots while sitting most of the game.

Most will claim that Payne’s dunk in the 2017 championship game was the catalyst for Osceola’s biggest lead. After his dunk, Osceola took a commanding 32-16 lead. Florida’s Mike White will no doubt love the adrenaline Payne produces when on the court, considering he will presumably be the best big man when he arrives and asked to do the heavy lifting.

Dynamic Duo?

Payne, as mentioned before, is the second top 50 prospect entering the Florida men’s program in 2019. The other is point guard Tre Mann, who ranks as the 25th recruit in the nation. There is an appeal for a dynamic duo between the two in Florida’s near future, but the impressive recruits may not stop with Payne and Mann.

C.J. Walker is a five-star prospect, who may still commit to Florida. The Gators also have a pledge from Alex Klatsky as a preferred walk-on. The big question is whether or not Florida can land Klatsky’s good friend Scottie Lewis, a five-star wing player. Florida is still the favorite, but a recent visit to Kentucky has now put a wrench in the Gators’ guarantee for Lewis.

 

Follow us on Twitter and YouTube

Follow the author here

Photo Credit: Josh Gershon via Twitter