Fast-rising PG Cameron Payne on Pacers' draft radar

Only two years ago, Cameron Payne was collecting recruiting letters from mid-majors. So skinny and unremarkable in size as a high school senior, he was mistaken for a boy just hitting puberty. Though Payne won Tennessee's Mr. Basketball award for his small-class division, today even he flashes a look of disbelief when asked if he was ever considered a "blue chip" player.

In spite of this humble start, Payne will become one of the first NBA draft prospects to work out for the Indiana Pacers on Monday.

"I definitely want to play great, play my best," the 20-year-old Payne said. "I'm going to pray about it, pray that I do great and let everything else take care of itself."

The name 'Cameron Payne' may not register with casual college basketball fans — meaning, most everyone — because the slight-framed point guard never wore the glass slipper in the NCAA tournament. In spite of winning 58 games during his two seasons at Murray State, Payne did not play on the grand stage. However, Payne, who measured in at a little taller than 6-feet at the NBA draft combine in Chicago and is listed at 180 pounds, has floated out of obscurity to become the 21st-ranked prospect according to DraftExpress.

"I go from not being on a mock draft to being on the mock draft," Payne said. "The main thing is, if I kept winning, I'll get noticed. That was the main thing, we kept winning games and more people started coming to our games and started to watch us."

The Pacers, who currently hold the No. 11 pick and have less than a 3 percent chance to move into the top three in the lottery, have followed Payne as he shepherded Murray State to a 25-game winning streak — only then-undefeated Kentucky won more consecutive games. During the Racers' successful stretch, Payne averaged 21 points per game.

"We followed him all year," Pacers' president of basketball operations Larry Bird said. "We know he can shoot it, he can drive it. He's a playmaker. His size is against him a little bit but he's a nice little player. He didn't play against top schools but that doesn't mean he can't play."

A long way from Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis, where he won the Tennessee Class 2A Private School state championship, Payne mixes Southern manners with a healthy dose of self-assurance. While meeting with media at the combine, Payne answered questions with 'Yes ma'am' and 'No sir' while still exhibiting a boyish bravado.

"I feel like I can bring a little bit more leadership," Payne said, responding to a question on how he thought he could improve a particular Eastern Conference playoff team. "And I can definitely bring my swagger."

During Thursday's combine, Payne worked through a shooting drill with Bird and several other representatives from the Pacers watching courtside. But as Bird revealed, the Pacers have long known about Payne's abilities and his poise.

"He should (be confident) and he's really going up the draft board pretty quick here," Bird said. "That gives a guy a lot of confidence, so I think he's going to be all right."

The Pacers' first predraft workout will also include several other interesting prospects. Jerian Grant (Notre Dame, 14th according to Draft Express) along with Olivier Hanlan (Boston College, 46th) and Joseph Young (Oregon, 55th) fill out the quartet of guards with Payne. Also, 6-9 Rakeem Christmas (Syracuse, 36th) and 6-10 Richaun Holmes (Bowling Green, 43rd) will join the workout.

Call Star reporter Candace Buckner at (317) 444-6121. Follow her on Twitter: @CandaceDBuckner.