Payne transferring to Genesis One

6-foot-8, 210-pound power forward Tavarius Payne has transferred from East High School in Memphis, Tenn., to Genesis One Christian Academy in Mendenhall, Miss., in hopes of improving his academic standing and of catching the eye of college recruiters. Payne has a list of schools he is presently interested in but would love to hear more from a couple of schools at the top of the list.

"I'm interested in Louisiana-Lafayette, Clemson, Memphis, Iowa, Penn State, Texas and UAB," said Payne. "My top two are probably Memphis and UAB. I would really like to hear more from those two schools, but I'll go anywhere. I just want a shot to play."

Louisiana-Lafayette is one school that is very actively pursuing Payne as they are the only school that has an official offer on the table. Payne expects to visit the school some time in October.

Payne, who has a 2.2 GPA and a 17 ACT score, averaged 15 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks per game as a junior last season at East High School.