Payne decides to make Loyola home

Timing turned out be everything between new Loyola men’s basketball coach Porter Moser and former Schaumburg and Burlington Central standout Cully Payne.

Moser was just about to begin his new job with the Ramblers right after Payne announced his intention to leave Iowa almost two weeks ago. Their first conversation left a very favorable impression on Payne.

Payne’s visit Friday to the Loyola campus only enhanced that first impression as he decided to become Moser’s first recruit at the school. He accepted the final scholarship for the 2011-12 season, which he will have to sit out as a transfer.

“I’m excited and honored to be coach Moser’s first recruit to Loyola and that means a lot to me personally,” Payne said in a news release from Loyola. “After spending time with him and the staff and getting a chance to see Loyola and all it has to offer, I knew this was the perfect place for me. I hope that my decision to come to Loyola can help attract other high-level players to play and go to school here.”

The 6-foot-1 point guard made The Sporting News all-Big Ten freshman team at Iowa. But after the season, the coach who recruited him, Todd Lickliter, was fired and replaced by Fran McCaffery.

Payne’s sophomore season ended after five games as he needed surgery for a sports hernia injury. He was granted a medical redshirt and will have to appeal to the NCAA to gain three more seasons of playing eligibility.

“I’m extremely excited about Cully wanting to be a part of something special here at Loyola,” Moser said in the release. “His toughness, basketball IQ, experience at the point guard position and his character as a student-athlete are what we are looking for in this program.

“From Day One, we made it a priority to recruit Chicago and the state of Illinois and the addition of Cully to our program is a tremendous first step toward making Loyola a viable option for area talent.”

Payne started all 32 games at point guard as a freshman at Iowa and averaged 8.7 points, 3 rebounds and a team-best 3.8 assists per game. He scored a career-high 25 points in a Big Ten tournament game against Michigan.

Payne made a verbal commitment to DePaul when he was in the eighth grade but de-committed before his senior year at Schaumburg. He signed a letter of intent with Alabama but was released from that commitment after head coach Mark Gottfried was fired.

Payne was the Daily Herald’s honorary captain of the 2009 Cook County All-Area team when he averaged 21.6 points, 5.4 assists and 3.1 rebounds before missing the final 13 games with a back injury. He played his first two seasons in high school at Burlington Central.

Loyola returns two starters from last year’s team that won 16 games. The program’s last NCAA Tournament appearance was in 1984-85 when it lost in the Sweet 16 to Georgetown and Patrick Ewing.