Recruiting Report: Payton Conrad (2017)
One part of a potent three-pronged attack at ADM, 6-foot point guard Payton Conrad heads into his senior season with a full head of steam after a busy and productive offseason.
After transferring into ADM last season, Conrad instantly was able to make an impact with the Tigers, showcasing his slick handle and sweet jumper throughout his junior season.
And though he’s still without a scholarship offer, there are three schools that have been hot on his trail of late.
“Schools in the mix right now are Cornell out in Mount Vernon, Central has really been hitting me hard and Briar Cliff too. I have visits out to all three of those schools coming up,” said Conrad.
“Central has called me and texted me, Briar Cliff texts me all the time and Mount Vernon and has called and texted too. I would like to see an offer. Central has been recruiting me pretty hard but I know they are a D3 and can’t give out scholarships.”
With his entire season still ahead of him, Conrad says he’s going to remain patient with his recruitment, and is confident some additional interest will trickle in this winter.
“Recruitment has definitely been a priority of mine for awhile now, and hopefully I can have a spectacular season this year and see a little late recruitment as well,” he said.
“But even if I get an offer I don’t plan on committing anytime soon, I’m going to hold out and see what happens.”
During a summer of running with a talented group of guys on Kingdom Hoops Red 17U, Conrad says he worked mostly to improve his defense.
“Ever since last winter I’d say I really worked on defense and trying to stay engaged, which is really more of a mental thing,” he said. “But I worked a lot on defense over the summer, and more my mid-range pull-up, and then getting closer to the rim before dishing out or finding a big-guy.”
And now, after a very decent individual junior season, Conrad and his Tiger teammates — after a very disappointing finish to their 2016 season — are motivated more than ever this winter.
“I’m trying to get first team all-conference and I really, really want my team to make to the “Well,” so that’s a big deal for me,” said Conrad, who will key in on leadership this season.
“Last year was really my first ever varsity experience, after coming from such a big school (in Minnesota). And I had people to look up to last year, and this year I want to be that guy that people look up to, and I can’t make as many mistakes, and I need to lead by example and keep the positivity going.”