Date Posted: 11/5/2007

12 Days of A-Sun Basketball makes its inaugural trip to Spartanburg, S.C., for a look at league newcomer USC Upstate. The Spartans moved up from Division II and the Peach Belt Conference where they won six regular season championships and one league tournament title in their 17 years in the league.

Senior guard Luke Payne enters his final season playing for his father, head coach Eddie Payne. Payne has become a go-to player for the Spartans and has done a little of everything to help Upstate win. He has 933 points in his career, just 67 shy of becoming the 14th member of the 1,000-point club.

The 2007-08 Spartans will have just four players who return with extensive court time in the program. Jeremy Byrd, Luke Payne, Nick Schneiders, and Zac Rich return as a solid nucleus. The Spartans have brought in nine newcomers to fill out the 15-man roster for the 2007-08 campaign.

Coach Eddie Payne on the Spartans

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SEASON PREVIEW - (Courtesy USC Upstate Media Relations)

The USC Upstate men’s basketball team embarks on a new era and uncharted territory when it opens the 2007-08 season. Gone are the days of NCAA Division II and the Peach Belt Conference. The Spartans open a new era as a member of NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Sun Conference.

Upstate will open the 2007-08 campaign counting on the leadership of two senior guards in Jeremy Byrd and Luke Payne, son of head coach Eddie Payne, as well as 7-2 sophomore center Nick Schneiders. The Spartans signed nine players in its recruiting class. They are good students with good character and will provide the program with a solid foundation as Upstate makes its transition to Division I.

Upstate will have its work cut out for itself in its first season in Division I. Not only will the Spartans face a difficult A-Sun schedule, but Upstate opens the season with several road games against some of the nation’s top programs. The Spartans open the season at Utah, will travel to Alaska for the Top of the World Classic, and have games against Wake Forest, Cincinnati, SMU, Duquesne, and Iowa State prior to the start of the demanding A-Sun slate. The nine newcomers will have to meld with the returning players to form a cohesive unit. Many of the newcomers will be expected to step in immediately and contribute. Playing a tough non-conference schedule early on is one way to facilitate building team chemistry, head coach Eddie Payne said.

Byrd and Payne are senior leaders who return to pace the team. They are quality players who have combined to win over 60 games and two league championships with two NCAA Tournament (Division II) appearances in their three seasons at Upstate. Their experience in the back court should help ease in the transition to Division I. The duo is undoubtedly the strength of the team.

Byrd is an electrifying player with exceptional speed. He can score (10.8 ppg) and distribute (4.6 apg), running the offense like a grizzled veteran. His best quality, though, is his ability to disrupt the opponent’s offense. He is a tenacious defender and is just two steals shy of the school’s all-time steals record of 276. He proved himself against the next level when he scored a team-high 14 points to go along with five steals, five rebounds, and two assists in an exhibition loss at Kentucky last year.

Payne is the quintessential coach’s son. He is the best fundamental player on the team and enters the season just 67 points shy of becoming the 14th player in the history of the program to reach 1,000 points. He led the Peach Belt Conference in assist-to-turnover ratio as a sophomore and ranked second a year ago. He plays all three guard positions. He ranks among the all-time leaders in three-point and free throw shooting and has moved into the top 10 in assists at Upstate. He averaged 11.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists a year ago.

Byrd and Payne make up 79 percent of the scoring returning to the team this season. Center Nick Schneiders, who has played just three years of organized basketball, came on midway through the season and averaged 2.1 points per game, while reserve guard Zac Rich averaged 4.3 points per game a year ago.

Upstate will have to replace the scoring void left, in particular, by Jay Free, Daniel Quinlan, and Ante Pikunic. Free, a senior last year, averaged 19.2 points per game before suffering a season-ending knee injury in early January. Quinlan averaged 13.9 points per outing last year, but transferred to Division II Columbus State for the 2007-08 season. Pikunic was the Spartans’ main threat down low last year, averaging 7.8 points and a team-high 6.4 rebounds per game. He has also graduated and is pursuing a professional career in Europe.

Upstate has used a three-guard lineup in the past, making use of its preference for the three-pointer. The move to Division I may or may not force a change in that philosophy, but head coach Eddie Payne is no stranger to the Division I sideline. He spent four years as the head coach at East Carolina from 1991-95 before a five-year stint at the head of the Oregon State program from 1995-2000. He also spent several seasons as an assistant coach at South Carolina, Clemson, and East Carolina. He knows the game of basketball and has the experience on the Division I level to help ease the transition.

Payne likes to force tempo when it is available, but also possesses the ability to work set plays in the half court offense. With Byrd at the point, he has one of the quickest players to lead the break. Byrd and Luke Payne team to form a strong back court presence in the half court set.

Defensive pressure is a key to starting an up-tempo offense and Payne uses a mix of man-to-man and zone defense to keep opponents off balance.

The strength of the Spartans should be its guard play. Three of the four returning players are guards and the Spartans have recruited solid talent outside. Upstate also worked on strengthening the inside play in the recruiting process.

The A-Sun does have some familiar faces in North Florida and Kennesaw State, both former members of the Peach Belt Conference and strong rivals to the Spartans. Upstate can learn a lot from the transition each of those institutions made to Division I just two years ago.

Guard

Perhaps the strength of the team lies at the guard position. Seniors Jeremy Byrd and Luke Payne return to lead the unit that has tremendous depth with seven players battling for playing time at two positions.

Byrd (5-11, 172, Sr., Greenville, S.C.) led Upstate with 4.6 assists and 90 steals a year ago. He possesses tremendous defensive skills and proved last year that he can score as well, finishing the year with a 10.8 ppg average. His experience and leadership should be key as he runs the team from his point guard position.

Payne (6-2, 185, Sr., Spartanburg, S.C.) is just 67 points shy of reaching 1,000 for his career. He can knock down the three and can drive to the hole to score. He knows the game and can run the offense which allows him to play some at the point. He averaged 11.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game last year.

Josh Chavis (5-8, 150, Fr., Greensboro, N.C.) and Rashawn Brailsford (6-2, 170, Fr., Columbia, S.C.) are talented freshman guards who will be expected to contribute immediately. They both possess skill and knowledge for the game. Chavis was the starting point guard for the West team in the 2007 North Carolina East-West All-Star Game while Brailsford played in the North-South All-Star Game in South Carolina. Chavis looks to distribute the ball, while Brailsford is a proven scorer.

Zac Rich (6-1, 185, Jr., Lexington, S.C.) is an experienced player in Payne’s system. He emerged as a three-point threat a year ago, hitting nearly 42 percent of his shots from long range. He will battle for playing time and his experience may give him an edge over freshman Andrew Varn (6-2, 167, Fr., Hartsville, S.C.) and sophomore Rhett Hardin (6-2, 183, So., Boiling Springs, S.C.). Varn is a solid player who needs experience on the college level. Hardin played sparingly during his freshman campaign before sitting out the second half of the season with an injury.

Wing Guard

Head coach Eddie Payne likes to use a three-guard lineup with the use of the wing position. The spot will be up for grabs between two newcomers, though Luke Payne has also played the position during his stint in the program. Regardless of who starts at the position, both Gabor Boros and Mezie Uzochukwu will see significant playing time.

Boros (6-4, 190, Jr., Debrecen, Hungary) is an experienced and proven player. He is a junior college transfer from Eastern Arizona College where he helped lead the Gila Monsters to the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference championship. He averaged 10.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.

Uzochukwu (6-5, 205, Fr., Greensboro, N.C.) is coming off a strong senior season. He capped a solid senior year by earning Most Valuable Player honors in the North Carolina East-West All-Star Game played in July. He finished the game with 14 points and eight rebounds to lead the West to the victory. He averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds per game en route to being named the Triad 3A Player of the Year as a senior. He finished his career with more than 1,400 points.

Power Forward

The power forward position will have a new look this season. Ante Pikunic, who was the main force down low for the Spartans a year ago, graduated. Three other players at the position from a year ago are also no longer with the team. Bobby Davis, a junior college transfer from Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, is expected to step into the starting role.

Davis (6-6, 225, Jr., Aiken, S.C.), a South Carolina native, was a two-year starter on a Hutchinson team that was deep with talent. He averaged 8.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game last year. He is a good, experienced and physical 4-man. His athletic ability and experience should give him a leg up in the battle for the starting position.

Vying for playing time behind Davis will be junior college transfer Justin Houser, freshmen Greg Maugle and Rory Spencer, and red shirt freshman Matt Preston.

Houser (6-9, 215, Jr., Shawnee Mission, Kan.) was a key role player on his Cloud County Community College team the last two years. He was widely credited for doing all of the little things that don’t show up on the stat sheet for Cloud County to be successful. He has the physicality to play the position and his experience should benefit the Spartans down low.

Maugle (6-7, 205, Fr., Plymouth Meeting, Pa.) had a standout career at Plymouth Whitemarsh. He was a two-year starter and an All-League and All-Area selection, averaging more than 10 points the last two seasons. His body has continued to develop. He is talented on both ends of the court and has worked hard to improve his skills with his back to the basket. He has the distinction of being Upstate’s first Division I signee.

Spencer (6-7, 200, Fr., College Park, Ga.) spent the last year at Maine Central Institute after starting his prep career at Douglas High School outside of Atlanta. He averaged 10 points and seven boards as a senior.

Preston (6-7, 205, Fr., Nags Head, N.C.) sat out last year to gain experience on the collegiate level. He is expected to continue to gain experience and provide depth in the post.

Center

The center position is in the hands of 7-2 red-shirt sophomore Nick Schneiders, though Greg Maugle could also spend time at the position. Maugle has the size and ability to log minutes down low.

Schneiders (7-2, 250, So., Reitberg, Germany) had only 14 months of playground experience in Germany prior to being recruited by Payne. He red-shirted his first year at Upstate in 2005-06 to develop his skills. He came on midway through last season, becoming a solid role player and a crowd favorite. The development of his skills and agility has been tremendous and he is expected to continue to improve on a daily basis. He averaged 2.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game last year in just over eight minutes per game.

12 Days of A-Sun Basketball Schedule
Oct. 22 - Belmont
Oct. 23 - Campbell
Oct. 24 - ETSU
Oct. 25 - Florida Gulf Coast
Oct. 26 - Gardner-Webb
Oct. 29 - Jacksonville
Oct. 30 - Kennesaw State
Oct. 31 - Lipscomb
Nov. 1 - Mercer
Nov. 2 - UNF
Nov. 5 - USC Upstate
Nov. 6 - Stetson

Related Links:
 • Interview with Eddie Payne
 • Team Photo Gallery