Stephon Payne III is a 6’ 9”, 220 pound rising senior transfer from Jacksonville University (12-6, 19-14) of the Atlantic Sun conference, which is ranked 24th out of 31 D1 basketball conferences. Seton Hall will be Payne’s third team – he spent his freshman season at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio before moving to Jacksonville. Payne is from Jacksonville originally, and will have an adjustment to New Jersey weather, amongst other things.
Last season at forward, Payne averaged 8.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and almost 1 blocked shot in 21 minutes per game. He missed the last four games of the 2025 season with an ankle injury, although he did play in the Atlantic Sun tournament. His statistics have improved slowly but steadily over the last several seasons.
Payne is an inside presence who will do most of his scoring on post-ups, lay-ups and put backs. He has never attempted a three pointer in three seasons at the collegiate level, and his shooting percentage drops markedly when he is more than ten feet away from the basket. On the other hand, he doesn’t miss a lot of lay-ups (he shoots 59% at the rim) and he gets 2.8 offensive rebounds a game. Given the ability of Budd Clark and TJ Simpkins to find the open man, Payne may get more lay-ups on dish offs this season. And in an article by Adam Zagoria, Coach Holloway called Payne a “lob threat” and praised his athleticism.
Free throw shooting is a weakness for Payne – Stephon must get better from the line. He shot 63% from the foul line last season, which is also his career average. His best season from the line was as a sophomore, when he shot 68%. In the Big East, a 6’ 9” forward who lives at the rim is going to get hacked, and Payne needs to get his free throw shooting percentage into the low 70s at least.
Payne is a solid defender and defensive rebounder. He got into a lot of foul trouble as a sophomore, but last season did not foul out of any game. Again, in the Big East, with more physical inside opponents, Payne will need to stay out of foul trouble while still being aggressive and blocking shots.
Finally, Payne has no experience at the Power Four level. He will deal with bigger crowds and more attention. As a senior, this is his final chance to play big time college basketball, and let’s hope he embraces the challenge, rather than being overwhelmed.
Serviceable big men are like gold. As Jerry Carino pointed out in the Asbury Park Press, Payne was highly recruited out of the portal by several Power Four programs, including Indiana and Louisville. SOJuice does not project Payne as a starter although I think that he is the most accomplished of the Pirate forwards and will start the season in the starting lineup.
Big man play was a real weakness for the Hall last season. This season, with the signing of Najai Hines, the Pirates may have a legitimate offensive threat at center, which means that they can afford a Jason Bediako type forward – a garbage man who cleans that glass and gets maybe ten points a game on offensive put backs. There is an opportunity for Stephon Payne, if he shows intensity on both offense and defense, and gets better at what he does well.
Last season at forward, Payne averaged 8.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and almost 1 blocked shot in 21 minutes per game. He missed the last four games of the 2025 season with an ankle injury, although he did play in the Atlantic Sun tournament. His statistics have improved slowly but steadily over the last several seasons.
Payne is an inside presence who will do most of his scoring on post-ups, lay-ups and put backs. He has never attempted a three pointer in three seasons at the collegiate level, and his shooting percentage drops markedly when he is more than ten feet away from the basket. On the other hand, he doesn’t miss a lot of lay-ups (he shoots 59% at the rim) and he gets 2.8 offensive rebounds a game. Given the ability of Budd Clark and TJ Simpkins to find the open man, Payne may get more lay-ups on dish offs this season. And in an article by Adam Zagoria, Coach Holloway called Payne a “lob threat” and praised his athleticism.
Free throw shooting is a weakness for Payne – Stephon must get better from the line. He shot 63% from the foul line last season, which is also his career average. His best season from the line was as a sophomore, when he shot 68%. In the Big East, a 6’ 9” forward who lives at the rim is going to get hacked, and Payne needs to get his free throw shooting percentage into the low 70s at least.
Payne is a solid defender and defensive rebounder. He got into a lot of foul trouble as a sophomore, but last season did not foul out of any game. Again, in the Big East, with more physical inside opponents, Payne will need to stay out of foul trouble while still being aggressive and blocking shots.
Finally, Payne has no experience at the Power Four level. He will deal with bigger crowds and more attention. As a senior, this is his final chance to play big time college basketball, and let’s hope he embraces the challenge, rather than being overwhelmed.
Serviceable big men are like gold. As Jerry Carino pointed out in the Asbury Park Press, Payne was highly recruited out of the portal by several Power Four programs, including Indiana and Louisville. SOJuice does not project Payne as a starter although I think that he is the most accomplished of the Pirate forwards and will start the season in the starting lineup.
Big man play was a real weakness for the Hall last season. This season, with the signing of Najai Hines, the Pirates may have a legitimate offensive threat at center, which means that they can afford a Jason Bediako type forward – a garbage man who cleans that glass and gets maybe ten points a game on offensive put backs. There is an opportunity for Stephon Payne, if he shows intensity on both offense and defense, and gets better at what he does well.
