Head Coach Marty Richter announces KeJuan Payne II as part of the 2026-27 Men’s Basketball Signing Class
5/1/2026 3:57:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Kejuan Payne II is continuing his academic and athletic career with Upstate Men's Basketball for the 2026-27 season, announced by Head Coach, Marty Richter. Payne comes to Upstate after spending a season at Northern Oklahoma College Enid where he was a Conference Champion and made an Elite Eight appearance during the NJCAA D1 Men's Basketball Championships.
Payne was a team captain for the Jets where he led the team in scoring 17.0 points per game during the regular season and 15 during postseason play. Payne's versatility ranges with crashing the boards adding six rebounds a game. Defensively, Payne proved to be a force leading the team with 1.5 steals a game and bumped his contributions up to two a game during postseason play. With the contributions he provided in the successful season for Northern Oklahoma College Enid, he was named to the All-Region Honorable Mention team and the Conference All-Tournament team. Payne's athletic background spans to being a two-sport athlete (football & basketball) at Putnam City North High School where he averaged 15 points during his senior year, a conference champion, won three tournaments and named all-tournament, and has seen success beating nationally ranked team.
Head Coach, Marty Richter expressed his excitement for the addition of the versatility that Payne brings. "KeJuan is a versatile player who has shown many of the intangibles that go into winning." Richter also mentioned, "He has also shown the ability to impact the game on the defensive side of the ball. As a staff, we are excited for the opportunity to coach him and continue building together."
Kejuan Payne's two-way presence will be a recipe that can help continue building with the system for Head Coach, Marty Richter, where many players have proven to shine. Payne's style of play with getting a bucket and forcing turnovers on the other end that can fit within the style of creating offense through defense.
