Pitt signs junior college standout forward Payton

Pitt basketball finally got some good news after a tough week, losing out on five-star center Efton Reid Sunday and Justin Champagnie declaring for the NBA Draft Monday.

But Tuesday, Pitt got back to the recruiting process and announced it got a national letter of intent signed by Chris Payton.

Payton, of Bloomington, Ill., was a standout junior college player for Indian Hills Community College the past two seasons and joins the Panthers with three years of eligibility left.

At 6-foot-7, 215 lbs., Payton averaged a double-double with 12.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game while he shot 56.9 percent from the field and 71.7 percent from the foul line. His efforts helped Indian Hills to a Region XI title and No. 6 ranking in the national junior college polls. He had 14 double-doubles, as a longer forward with scoring and rebounding talent.

“Chris is a terrific athlete who has used his time at the junior college level to develop into a high major prospect,” said head coach Jeff Capel. “We are excited about the competitiveness, toughness and ability to play above the rim we have seen from his play and believe he will fit in well with the team we are building. Chris has the ability to play multiple positions on the floor and impact the game in a variety of ways.”

Payton's a solid talent who was highly sought after in the Transfer Portal. He joins Daniel Oladapo and Jamarius Burton as new Panthers joining the program as transfers. Pitt lost three of their top six scorers in Champagnie, Xavier Johnson and Au'Diese Toney.

Capel will be looking to replenish that scoring talent with new recruits, including the Panthers' only committed high school prospect Nate Santos.