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Pharrel Payne to reunite with Buzz Williams at Maryland
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Texas A&M saw head coach Buzz Williams leave the Aggies recently for the head coaching position at Maryland, and Pharrel Payne is following his head coach to the Big Ten.
Shortly after Williams’s departure, it was reported that Payne had entered the transfer portal, specifically with a do-not-contact tag. That signified the former Texas A&M big man already had his next destination in mind.
That was confirmed on Friday with Payne revealing a commitment to Maryland to continue playing for Williams:
Payne was a key departure for A&M after 34 appearances (14 starts) this past season while averaging 10.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. A true presence down low, Payne shot 64.6% from the field while also averaging 1.1 blocks per game.
On the flip side, Payne is a key pickup for Maryland and Williams in particular as he tries to establish his culture with the Terps. Payne also returns to the Big Ten, where he began his career with 2 seasons at Minnesota. For his career, Payne has averaged 9.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks.
Williams still has his work cut out for him at Maryland after the majority of the roster hit the transfer portal following Kevin Willard’s departure to Villanova.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
