Payne is 'Bama-bound

Two sources close to the Payne family confirmed Tuesday that Cully, a rising senior at Schaumburg, made a commitment to Alabama and coach Mark Gottfried after a recent visit to the Tuscaloosa campus.

Payne earlier this month backed out of his commitment to DePaul and coach Jerry Wainwright.

The 6-foot-1 point guard, who announced June 2 he was reopening his recruitment, heads to a Crimson Tide team that finished 17-16 overall and 5-11 in the SEC a year ago. Alabama lost four seniors, including two guards.

"After a visit this past weekend, he fell in love with the school, its great campus life and it's a great campus town," said Mike Weinstein, Payne's AAU coach at the Deerfield-based Rising Stars. "He loves that it is warm. He really likes the coach because he knows how Cully does all the little things."

Waukegan's Jereme Richmond, an Illinois recruit, and Young's Marcus Jordan also play for the Rising Stars 17 Gold.

Payne averaged 16.9 points per game as a junior, helping the Saxons to a regional championship in his first season with the program after transferring from Burlington Central.