Top 5 Shooting Guards in the WCC this past season

Jan 18, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Loyola Marymount Lions guard

(1) attempts to steal the ball from Gonzaga Bulldogs guard

(11) in the first half at Gersten Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Fielding-USA TODAY Sports

5. Evan Payne

Preseason Rank: NR

By Cameron Newton

The fact that Evan Payne is on this list as a freshman is simply a fantastic achievement.  He has wowed just about everyone who has watched an LMU game this season.  Even Loyola Marymount fans, who knew how awesome Payne was as a recruit, have been overwhelmed by his scoring prowess.

All year long, he has proven himself to be one of the conference’s best scorers this season.  He and Anthony Ireland have made a fantastic backcourt threat for Loyola Marymount. It will hurt to not see them play together next year, but Payne is more than capable of picking up right where Ireland left off.

After the firing of Max Good, phenomenal recruits like Elijah Stewart and Kyron Cartwright decommitted from the program. It’s very saddening to hear that they will not be playing for the Lions next season, given how highly coveted they were on the recruiting trail. This means of course that Evan Payne will become an even more integral part of this team’s offense and if Loyola Marymount is to have any hopes at success in the future, he has to be leading the way.  He is talented enough to do just that.