Mizzou Lands Commitments from Martavian Payne, Russell Woods

This weekend Mizzou Basketball hosted two Junior College prospects in Martavian Payne and Russell Woods. Both attended John A Logan College in Illinois and this weekend both committed to play for Missouri next season.

Russell Woods 6-8 forward from John A. Logan College in Carterville, IL commits to Missouri

— Chris Gervino (@KOMUChrisG) April 18, 2015

2015 John A Logan forward Russell Woods has committed to Missouri http://t.co/N2KPfyNFRG

— Brad Winton (@JucoRecruiting) April 18, 2015

The news first hit with Woods at around 5 pm. Then the news followed with Payne at around 6 pm.

2015 John A Logan guard Martavian Payne has committed to Missouri

— Brad Winton (@JucoRecruiting) April 18, 2015

Feels Good To Be A Mizzou Tiger

— UnderratedTae_2⃣0⃣ (@MartavianPayne) April 18, 2015

Payne is originally from St. Louis, having played in high school with Ryan Rosburg at Marquette before finishing up at Imagine Prep. Woods is a post player who played at Simeon High in Chicago IL with Jabari Parker (now playing for the Milwaukee Bucks) and Kendrick Nunn (now at Illinois).

The Book on Martavian Payne

Payne is a 6'2" combo guard who originally committed to SEMO out of High School, ended up in Junior College and now has a chance to play for Mizzou. He's a high scoring guard who shoots a high percentage from 3-point range (something Missouri desperately needs) and can handle the ball against pressure as well. He shot 46% from the field last year, with a 42% mark from 3 point range while averaging over 16 points per game.

He had offers from Creighton and Kansas State. Here is the link with a short interview from PowerMizzou.com:

"I grew up watching Mizzou and I always loved Mizzou basketball," Payne said. "It's my home state. When they offered me, I was just real excited. I always wanted to go there since I was a kid so that made it easy for me to commit to Mizzou.

"It's going to be great to be able to play in front of my family. I have a really supportive family so they are going to be at most of my games. It'll be good to have them cheering for me and Mizzou."

The Book on Russell Woods

Woods is a 6'8" left handed post player who is a block to block post (as in, don't expect him to shoot much from outside) and a good rim protector. He averaged over 14 points per game while shooting over 60% from the floor. He also chipped in with 7 rebounds and should be counted on at the center position and defending well in the post. Woods is a good physical player and should immediately up the toughness level on the Missouri roster.

He had offers from Kansas State, South Carolina, DePaul, Houston and Murray State. Here is a link to a brief interview posted from PrepHoopsIllinois.com:

"I felt it was a great place to be and that they take care of their players. I want to be able to come in and help win some games and be a leader like I always have."

How does he see his game fitting in the Tigers system?

"I think I will fit in perfectly. They love to play in transition. They need a mobile four that can rebound, score, and play D. I want to be able to say I helped Mizzou win more games and reach the tournament."

Both players should be counted on to contribute immediately, with Woods int he post, and Payne on the wing and at point. With these two commitments Mizzou is now up to 12 scholarships taken up on the 2015-16 season. The last remaining scholarship should be available for a scoring wing. The top candidates are Kobe Eubanks and K.J. Walton. Eubanks is believed to be the top choice, while Walton is a 4-star wing from Indiana who Mizzou has recently started recruiting.