| Years at Northeast: | 1985-87 |
| Sports: | Men's Basketball |
| Occupation: | Student-Athlete |
Johnny Payton made the transition from W.P. Daniel High School in New Albany to then-Northeast Mississippi Junior College alongside his hall of fame coach, Harvey Childers, in the fall of 1985.
The duo were the key pieces to a flawless 36-0 season by the Bulldogs the winter before that ended with a Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 3A state championship.
Payton was rewarded for his efforts with a spot in the Mississippi Association of Coaches (MAC) North-South All-Star Game. He was voted as the Most Outstanding Offensive Player after producing a game-high 24 points.
Childers and Payton found themselves as state champions once again during their inaugural year with the Tigers. They ended up making three additions to Northeast's trophy case over the course of their last two seasons together.
Payton's career at Northeast intersected with a significant change in the sport. The three-point line was legalized by all governing bodies of collegiate basketball ahead of his sophomore campaign.
Ironically, Payton had a higher scoring average without the long distance shot at his disposal. He tallied 18.1 points per contest as a freshman compared to 14.7 points following its institution one year later.
The Tigers defeated Mississippi Delta Community College to capture the north division crown on their path to the state title. Payton was one of five double-digit scorers for Northeast with 13 points in the decisive win over the Trojans.
Payton posted a career-high 38 points on the strength of 11 made field goals and a sensational 16 of 22 showing at the charity stripe earlier that season versus then-Shelby State (Tenn.) Community College.
He showed out during his debut in the black-and-gold with 26 points against Jackson State (Tenn.) Community College. Payton matched that in the Tigers' next matchup with the now-defunct Mary Holmes College.
Payton reached double figures in 19 of his first 20 appearances at Northeast and 46 times overall. He totaled 885 points over 55 games for the Tigers, which comes to 16.1 points per contest.
Northeast broke a three-decade drought between national tournament berths during the 1986-87 campaign. Payton had 14 points to help the Tigers get past then-Jones County Junior College for the region championship.
Payton had a pair of double-digit performances for Northeast at nationals in Hutch with 12 points against Southern Union State (Ala.) Community College and 17 points versus the College of Southern Idaho.
He had a season-best 25 points against archrival Itawamba Community College. Payton shot roughly 52 percent from the floor and was described by Childers as one of the Tigers' top defenders as well.
Payton also distributed the ball to his talented teammates effectively that year. He averaged 6.4 assists per game, which is tied for the second most in a single season in program history.
He signed a basketball scholarship with the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). Payton started for Childers at guard for six straight years between Northeast and W.P. Daniel.