After two years as point guard with the Louisiana RaginӰר Cajuns, Elfrid Payton knew he was making progress as a major college basketball player.
Now, after earning a gold medal as a member of the triumphant United States team in last summerӰרs FIBA U19 World Championships, Payton also knows he can take the court against some of the best players in the world.
A helpful word from Cajun coach Bob Marlin helped Payton to get his foot in the door, the last player invited to try out for the USA team coached by Billy Donovan, and he made the most of the opportunity.
Payton not only made the squad, but played in all nine contests and was the starting point guard by the time the USA met Serbia in the championship finals.
ӰרI was trying to get into (summer) camps, and it just wasnӰרt working out,Ӱר Payton said. ӰרThen it hit him (Marlin) that I was still just 19 Ӱר I started (school) early Ӱר and the trials were coming up.
ӰרIt was an opportunity to present myself. I was one of 26 to try out, and the only one from a mid-major. I just needed a shot to prove myself.Ӱר
Any doubts were soon quieted by Donovan.
ӰרMy second day there, coach Donovan called me to the side and said, ӰרWe know you can play point guard; weӰרd like to see you do other things, too,Ӱר Ӱר Payton said. ӰרWe were in 5-on-5 drills, for the most part, and he said, ӰרThis is a big day for you.Ӱר
ӰרThatӰרs when I knew I had a legitimate chance to make the team.Ӱר
Payton had game. He also already had a passport, after starting the summer in China as a member of a Fellowship of Christian Athletes tour to Ӱרtalk about the Bible and play a few games.Ӱר
By the time the World Championship tournament began, Payton had earned his place among talented teammates.
He averaged 6.1 points, 2.1 assists, 2.3 steals and 2.3 rebounds per game, hitting 57 percent of his shots from the floor and making 9-of-10 free throws. In the 82-68 title game victory over Serbia, he had 9 points, 6 assists and 5 steals.
That championship game, in which a 13-1 surge widened the AmericansӰר lead from 57-53 to 70-54, was one of the few close ones. The USA flattened nine foes in 11 days by an average of 39 points per game, including 32 per game in three medal round contests.
ӰרSerbia was the only team that really gave us any competition,Ӱר said Payton, who also helped dispense Serbia 71-62 in pool play. ӰרThe other teams were talented, but we had depth to go full court with everyone and just wore them down.
ӰרThere were no egos on the team. We all just wanted to win. Nobody cared about minutes played. Everybody had the same team goal. Our minutes were all the same. We were blowing everybody out.
ӰרBilly (Donovan) did a good job of staying on us, telling us each game will get harder.Ӱר
The experience helped to accelerate the maturation process for Payton.
ӰרThere were a lot of good leaders on the team, and I think that rubbed off on me,Ӱר he said. ӰרThere were some great basketball minds there, and the coaches gave us some good little speeches.
ӰרIt was a good, insightful trip.Ӱר
Payton learned to adapt to different playing styles, different styles of officiating, different food and jet lag. Perhaps just as important, others have learned about him.
ӰרThis opened doors for Elfrid,Ӱר said Marlin, who is in his fourth year at the helm and is counting on Payton to lead the Cajuns. ӰרIt was a productive opportunity for him.
ӰרHeӰרs not anonymous any more. IӰרve heard from a number of NBA teams. TheyӰרre really going to watch him and focus on what he does for the next two years. HeӰרs on their radar now. TheyӰרre going to track him.
ӰרThey like what theyӰרve seen.Ӱר
Others are learning what Marlin already knew, that Payton takes all challenges head-on.
ӰרHe has answered the bell every time his name has been called,Ӱר Marlin said. ӰרHeӰרs been used to Ӱרplaying upӰר his whole life. He is the most opportunistic guy IӰרve ever coached. He has the mental makeup to make his dreams come true.
ӰרHe creates opportunities for all of us. He can see his defender, and the other defenders, too. Magic Johnson had that ability.
ӰרHeӰרs got to get his shooting percentage up, and keep it up. ThatӰרs what scouts want to see. And, he will. You can see how he leads the team. HeӰרs already a great lead guard with his defense and ball handling.Ӱר
Payton started 11 of 32 games as a freshman at UL Lafayette, averaging 7.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.16 steals per game.
He improved dramatically in 2012-13 and started in all 33 games.
Payton was the only player in the nation to average 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals per game. He ranked 12th nationally in steals.
The point guard ranks third in school history with 80 steals in a year and fourth in school history with 181 assists in a year.
As expected, his performance as a sophmore earned Payton UL LafayetteӰרs Most Outstanding Player of the Year and the Beryl Shipley Leadership Award. Shipley led the Cajuns in the 1960s and 1970s; he was the first coach to integrate a major sports team at a large public university in the Deep South.
Payton was named to the 2013 Lou Henson Preseason All-America team. That accolade is presented annually to the top mid-major basketball players in the country by Insider.com. ItӰרs named in honor one of only 12 coaches in the history of the game to take two schools to the Final Four.
The national and school records and awards hint at more progress to come, and PaytonӰרs not remotely satisfied yet.
ӰרI want to improve my free throw percentage,Ӱר Payton said. ӰרI want to better my shot Ӱר my mid-range shooting, let alone my three-pointers. I want to stretch my range even more.
ӰרI want to do a good job in the paint, and look for more opportunities for the big men and for our other shooters. My defense has gotten better.Ӱר
The Gretna, La., native made a splashy debut in the Cajundome before he ever wore a UL Lafayette uniform, pouring in 23 points for John Ehret High School in a semifinal loss to eventual champion Scotlandville High in the LHSAA Top 28 Tournament.
ӰרThat was disappointing,Ӱר he recalls.ӰרThat was a game we felt we should have won.Ӱר
The Ehret defeat did nothing to change MarlinӰרs opinion of Payton, whose father, Elfrid, was a 2010 inductee into the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame after a stellar career as an intimidating linebacker.
In fact, Canada was PaytonӰרs only travel abroad until this year, which was capped early in the fall semester with a Cajun team trip to Spain.
ӰרWe spent two or three weeks there,Ӱר Payton said. ӰרIt was an important trip for bonding and team chemistry. ItӰרs good to know this person is for you, that if you mess up, heӰרll help you. Our gold medal team had that.
ӰרThat was good for us. That was something that Coach really pushed for.Ӱר
Marlin said his team managed to get in 10 practices and Ӱרwas able to play some games, but the travel and bonding were the most important part.
ӰרWe learned a lot about each other,Ӱר he said.
In a revealing exercise, each member of the 33-person travel party shared his or her five HӰרs Ӱר history, heartache, highlight, hero and hope Ӱר with the others.
ӰרItӰרs one of the best things IӰרve ever done as a coach,Ӱר Marlin said.
It ranks right up there with signing Elfrid Payton and watching him mature into a Cajun leader with a World Championship, Gold Medal pedigree.