NEW YORK (Dec. 23, 2025) ---
Stephon Payne of Seton Hall University has been named Division I Men’s Player of the Week by the Met Basketball Writers Association.
The designation, for games played Dec. 15-21, is unique in that it encompasses players from 21 Met area Division I schools.
This is Payne's first MBWA player of the week honor.
A 6-9 senior forward from Jacksonville, FL, Payne ---who also was named the Big East Conference player of the week --- was a dominant force on the road last Friday in a 72-67 victory by the Pirates (11-1) over Providence, registering a double-double with 18 points and a career-high 16 rebounds in SHU’s only game of the week.
Payne led the Pirates in a come-from-behind second-half surge with 14 of his points and seven rebounds recorded after intermission.
He is the first Pirate to have at least 15 points and 15 rebounds in a game since Jarden Rhoden on Feb. 19, 2022, against DePaul.
The MBWA now takes a two-week holiday break from games to be played in its Players of the Week program and will return with its next set of selections on Jan. 13 for games played Jan. 5-11.
Players receiving MBWA Division I Honorable Mention for the week: Cruz Davis, Hofstra; Tariq Francis, Rutgers; Toby Harris, Iona; Elijah Lewis, Marist.
Previous MBWA 2025-26 Division I Men’s Players of the Week: Dec. 9,
Cruz Davis, Hofstra; Dec. 16,
Cruz Davis, Hofstra.