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Report: Gary Payton II set to join Oregon State basketball program

Gary Payton II will follow in his father's footsteps and commit to Oregon State.  (Photo courtesy of Slccbruins.com)

Junior college guard Gary Payton II will follow in his father's footsteps. Photo courtesy of Slccbruins.com)

NBA Hall of Famer Gary Payton's son, Gary Payton II, is set to commit to play basketball at Oregon State, his father's alma mater, according to the Seth Prince of The Oregonian.

He is expected to sign his letter of intent this weekend.

The 6-foot-3, 175-pound Payton, nicknamed "The Mitten," chose the Beavers over Utah, St. Mary's, and Seton Hall.

Payton II, a sophomore at Salt Lake Community College, visited Oregon State last month.  Payton, 20, is averaging 9.4 points and 6.8 rebounds and almost two assists per game this season.

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"It'd be a very big challenge," Payton II said in a interview last week with The Oregonian. "There's pros and cons to that. I believe that it'd be all right. It'd be a lot of help, too, in different ways."