Scott Van Pelt is bullish on one Maryland basketball player in particular: 'He's the guy'

The Terrapins have one player in particular that the analyst is excited for.

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After Kevin Willard left for Villanova, Maryland basketball hired Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams who was tasked with finding a brand new roster. Every Terrapin player who went to the Sweet 16 left, and with Williams heading to College Park, he brought a few of his players with him. One of those players was forward Pharrel Payne.

Payne is the player Maryland alum and ESPN analyst Scott Van Pelt is excited to see play next season. Van Pelt was asked about which player he was high on entering next year, and his answer was the A&M transfer.

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"Payne is the guy, and he's the guy that folks in the league would remember, because he played at Minnesota," said Van Pelt. "Then he went to A&M, and then I actually saw him. I was sitting with a friend of mine, got me two seats, I was in the front row in Chicago for the Big Ten Tournament. And Maryland played [Minnesota] on early, like a Wednesday, maybe it was. And Payne was just, like, Juju couldn't keep him under control. And he's a really good defender. And I thought, 'Man, that guy, he's a load.' And then he went to A&M and he got better. And just look at his box [scores], going the last couple of games—he had 20-some-odd against Michigan [in the NCAA Tournament] and that's against two huge bigs, right, for them that ate Maryland's lunch in the Big Ten Tournament. He's the guy."

Payne began his career in the Big Ten with Minnesota. By his sophomore year, he averaged 10 points and 6.1 rebounds. But a better opportunity with the Aggies was intriguing and he transferred to Texas A&M last season to play under Williams. Payne averaged 10.4 points and 5.1 rebounds, but his strong showing to end the season has fans excited.

"I think Payne is a true old-school big body presence on the block," Van Pelt said. "He's gonna dunk, he's gonna rebound, he's gonna block shots. And it's always nice to have that. I know the modern game is different, but I think Payne is the clear [biggest impact] guy that they got. And then there's a bunch of options that could become guys as well."

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