FARMINGTON, Utah - The Big Sky Conference announced it's men's basketball conference awards on Friday afternoon. 

Recognizing the best and most dynamic athletes in the conference, the awards are released each year leading up to the tournament in Boise. In his first season playing major collegiate minutes, Jack Payne was named to the five-man All-Big Sky Honorable Mention team. 

Payne, a redshirt sophomore in his first year with the Vandals, played in all 31 regular season games this season, starting 30 of them. Very quickly, he made his presence felt as a versatile player capable of scoring from the perimeter or shaking off contact to drive up the key. 

In the regular season, Payne was always a threat to put up big numbers for Idaho. He put up double figures in fourteen games, including a stretch of four straight such performances in the first four matchups of Big Sky play as well as in five of the last seven most recent contests. On the season, "JP" averaged 10.2 points per game and was second on the team with 5.0 rebounds per game. He shot 45.1% from the floor all year long, 34.8% from beyond the arc, and 80.0% from the charity stripe.

Payne's season highs included a 23 point outing in a road win over Sacramento State, one of two games in which he made at least four three-point shots. He was a consistent contributor to a Vandals team that broke the school record for the most made three-pointers in a season with 47 of his own.

UP NEXT
The Boise native is set to return to his hometown for the Big Sky Conference Tournament, leading the Vandals on to the court against the #3 Portland State Vikings on Monday, March 10, at 7:00 PST. 
For more information and ticketing links, visit govandals.com.

WHAT'S HAPPENING
To stay up to date with everything happening with the Vandals, follow them on:
Facebook (Idaho Vandals)
Instagram (VandalHoops)
X (VandalHoops)