NCAA Basketball: 10 best players from state of Tennessee of last decade

2. Cameron Payne – Murray State

Part of the reason that Murray State has been one of the best mid-major programs over the last decade is the ability to find gems like Payne. A 6’2 guard from Bartlett, Payne was recruited by Steve Prohm and had two fantastic seasons with the Racers.

He was already making an enormous impact as a freshman, averaging 16.8 points and 5.4 assists and leading the Racers to the CIT championship. During his sophomore season, the Racers had a 25-game winning streak, with Payne providing fireworks on the offensive end, now putting up more than 20 points a game. Unfortunately, Murray State was upset in the OVC Tournament and Payne finished out his career playing in the NIT.

Payne was named OVC Freshman of the Year in his first season and OVC Player of the Year for season number two. Easily named First Team All-OVC, he blossomed into a star at Murray State, ranking among the national leaders in points and assists during that final collegiate season. Due to his emergence onto the national scene, he left school after just two years and was a first-round draft pick in 2015. He’s still an NBA point guard some seven years later, playing in the NBA Finals in 2021.