LAS CRUCES, N.M. – NM State men's basketball announced Friday the addition of fifth-year forward Stephon Payne, a skilled frontcourt athlete who spent the 2025-26 season at Seton Hall.
 
Payne, a native of Jacksonville, Fla., makes Las Cruces the fourth stop of his collegiate career after also serving as a key contributor at Incarnate Word and Jacksonville before playing for the Pirates of Seton Hall.
 
Across his four seasons at the Division I level, Payne has appeared in 124 games and logged a total of 849 points and 732 rebounds, averaging 6.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per contest. Payne has also posted 14 double-doubles, including four with Seton Hall last season.
 
Last season at Seton Hall, Payne started all 33 games for the Pirates and was the team's leading rebounder, averaging 6.5 boards per game, including nearly three offensive rebounds per outing. His senior campaign was highlighted by a week in which he tallied two double-doubles, including an 18-point, 16-rebound game in a win on the road at Providence. This led to Payne being recognized as one of five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week in addition to garnering BIG EAST Player of the Week and Met Basketball Association Division I Player of the Week.
 
The following week, the 6-9 forward submitted 14 points along with a career-high 22 rebounds in a narrow win over Marquette. With this, Payne became the first Pirate with 20-plus rebounds in a game since 2018 and was the most by any BIG EAST player since 2022.
 
Over two seasons with Jacksonville, Payne recorded eight double-doubles, notched 48 starts, and appeared in 61 total contests. The dynamic big scored in double figures a total of 21 times, while collecting 10 or more rebounds in 14 games.
 
Before returning to his hometown, Payne spent his true freshman season at Incarnate Word, where he earned minutes in 30 games and found his way into the starting lineup 16 times. He finished the year averaging 6.0 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, while collecting 30 steals and 39 blocks.
 
Payne played prep ball at Andrew Jackson High School, averaging 17.9 points, 11.9 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game. He earned Gateway Conference League Defensive Player of the Year in 2021-22 and helped guide his team to the state title game in three of his four seasons at the varsity level.

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