Pharrel Payne
| No. 21 – University of Maryland Terrapins | |
|---|---|
| Position | Power forward / center |
| League | Big Ten Conference |
| Personal information | |
| Born | August 22, 2004 |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Park High School |
| College | Maryland (2025–2026) |
Pharrel Payne is an American college basketball player for the University of Maryland Terrapins[1] of the Big Ten Conference. He previously played for the Texas A&M Aggies and the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Early life and high school
Coming out of high school, Payne committed to play college basketball for the Minnesota Golden Gophers over offers from schools such as Texas A&M, St. Louis, and Drake.[2]
College career
Minnesota
As a freshman in 2022-23, Payne averaged 8.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game and led the team in blocks with 32.[3] On January 12, 2024, he recorded 17 points, ten rebounds, and five blocks in a loss to Indiana.[4] On February 3, 2024, Payne tallied 14 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks in a win over Northwestern.[5] On February 18, he notched a career-high 21 points and 11 rebounds in victory versus Rutgers.[6] During the 2023-24 season, Payne appeared in 32 games with 19 starts, where he averaged 10.0 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.[7] After the season, he entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal.[8]
Texas A&M
Payne transferred to play for the Texas A&M Aggies.[9] On November 4, 2024, he recorded 15 points and six rebounds in a loss to UCF.[10] In the first round of the 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, Payne notched 25 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Yale.[11] At the end of the season, Payne entered the transfer portal, then followed is head coach Buzz Williams to Maryland.[12]
Personal life
His younger brother, Roderick Payne currently plays at Western Illinois, and previously played at Wisconsin River-Falls where he was the 2021-22 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year.[13]
References
- ^ https://umterps.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/pharrel-payne/14827
- ^ Fuller, Marcus. "Cottage Grove's Pharrel Payne commits to Gophers men's basketball team". Star Tribune. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
- ^ Fuller, Marcus. "Gophers big man Pharrel Payne: High school benchwarmer to NBA dreams". Star Tribune. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
- ^ Fuller, Marcus. "Back injury sidelines Gophers' Pharrel Payne vs. Penn State". Star Tribune. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
- ^ Fuller, Marcus. "Four things learned include another big finish, Pharrel Payne's big role in beating Northwestern". Star Tribune. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
- ^ Fuller, Marcus. "Gophers defeat Rutgers. Pharrel Payne has career high; Minnesota holds off late rally". Star Tribune. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
- ^ Greder, Andy. "With Pharrel Payne gone, Gophers men's basketball looks to Frank Mitchell, others in post". Pioneer Press. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
- ^ Fuller, Marcus. "Gophers' losses mount: Pharrel Payne, Braeden Carrington, Isaiah Ihnen enter transfer portal". Star Tribune. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
- ^ Fuller, Marcus. "Former Gophers forward Pharrel Payne commits to Texas A&M". Star Tribune. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
- ^ Brown, Travis. "Pharrel Payne adds scoring presence to Texas A&M men's basketball post". KBTX.com. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
- ^ Noe, Alissa. "Texas A&M's Pharrell Payne thankful he was "forced" to play high school basketball". The Denver Post. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
- ^ https://www.si.com/college/tamu/basketball/texas-am-aggies-transfer-portal-buzz-williams-maryland-pharrel-payne-solomon-washington
- ^ Fuller, Marcus. "To prepare for Big Ten's big men, Gophers' Pharrel Payne turned to big brother". Star Tribune. Retrieved March 22, 2025.