How Raymond's Eric Paymon Jr. has developed into one of Mississippi's top basketball prospects
RICHLAND — For a brief moment, Eric Paymon Jr. had to step out of his comfort zone and let go of his humility.
When asked what makes him one of the most dominant high school basketball players in Mississippi, Paymon smiled and then paused in thought. After several seconds, he said it stems from his skill set and work ethic. His talent, IQ and hard work all jelled into one product.
The 6-foot-9, 225-pound forward for Raymond High (18-3) is ranked as a four-star prospect by ESPN and is the highest-ranked recruit in Mississippi in the 2024 class. Paymon has offers from Ole Miss, Mississippi Sate, Jackson State, New Mexico State and TCU.
"My height and then the skill set that I have, I had to work my butt off for my skill set. Man, I'm just glad it all came together," Paymon said. "My environment, my parents, my coaches, my teammates, because they all tell me I can be better. Don't just settle and stay humble."
Raymond coach Tony Tadlock is in his third season coaching Paymon and has seen his growth and maturity on the court improve drastically. Payton has turned into the type of player every coach dreams of having.
"First thing is basketball IQ, you know, he studies the game," Tadlock said. "He's an awesome student of the game. One of the best things that I would describe EJ, man, he's super coachable. A lot of kids, being highly ranked players in the state, sometimes have an attitude about them, and this kid is one of the most coachable kids I've ever coached.
"Super thankful that he allows us to coach him the way he does. He's an awesome teammate, even better person. So his development overall has just been tremendous on all levels."
Veteran leadership
In Raymond's 63-32 win over Richland on Friday night at Richland, Raymond was winning by 18 points at halftime. What may have seemed to be a time to lay back, Paymon was still strictly business. As Tadlock spoke to the team ahead of the third quarter, everyone got up to listen in the huddle except one player who was just in street clothes.
Paymon saw this and quickly tapped him on the shoulder and told him to join the team in the huddle. Actions toward his teammates, on-court vocalization and slowing the game down to a pace at which he knows his team can compete have been steps of character. Tadlcok has seen the senior forward transform his game into what it is today.
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Another example of Payson's leadership, Tadlock said, is how he is always looking out for all of his teammates.
Tadlock said in games that the Rangers' build big leads, Payson is the first one to tell 'Hey, Coach, we want to get these young guys in the game,'" Tadlock said. "That's part of our culture as it is, but it's special when one of your better players is one of the first ones to say, 'Hey, Coach, let's get some these young guys in' because he understands the bigger picture."
Michael Chavez covers high school sports, among others, for the Clarion-Ledger. Email him at mchavez@gannett.com or reach out to him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: How Raymond's Eric Paymon became one of state's top basketball players
