Gary Payton II Defends His Honor
March 08, 2016 | Men's Basketball
Gary Payton II was voted the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year as selected by a vote of the conference coaches, Commissioner Larry Scott announced Monday.
Payton II is the first player to be named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year two times after winning the award a year ago in his first season with the Beavers. His father, Hall of Famer Gary Payton (1986-87), and Seth Tarver (2009-10) were the other Oregon State players to be selected the conference's top defender. After the elder Payton won the honor in 1987, the league discontinued the award until it was reinstated in 2008.
A native of Seattle, Wash., Payton II is sixth in the nation in steals (2.41) and broke his father's Oregon State record earlier this season with at least one steal in 38 consecutive games. He has 70 steals this season after finishing last year with 95, tied for the third most in Pac-12 single-season history.
The 6-foot-3 guard leads the Beavers in scoring (15.9), rebounding (7.6), assists (5.3) and steals (2.4) and is likely to become the second player in school history to lead the team in all four categories (Lester Conner, 1981-82).
Oregon State (18-11, 9-9 Pac-12) opens the Pac-12 Tournament at 8:40 p.m. on Wednesday against Arizona State (15-16, 5-13) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The Beavers are the No. 6 seed and the Sun Devils are the No. 11 seed. The game will be televised on Pac-12 Networks.
Oregon State Players Named Pac-12 Defense Player of the Year
From 1984 to 1987 and 2008 to present.
1987 — Gary Payton
2010 — Seth Tarver
2015 — Gary Payton II
2016 — Gary Payton II
OREGON STATE ATHLETICS' EVERYDAY CHAMPIONS CULTURE
Through the power of sport, we help people discover and pursue their passions, talents and purpose in order to live a life of balance and positive contribution.
