COLUMBIA, Mo. - Summer workouts have concluded for the Mizzou Men's Basketball team, with returning players and newcomers coming together over the last months for classes and practices. The Tigers will regroup with several fresh faces for the 2015-16 campaign. Get to know each of the new student-athletes on next season's squad with a series of features on MUTigers.com.

Junior college transfer guard Martavian Payne comes to Mizzou after two standout seasons at John A. Logan College (Carterville, Ill.). Payne was high school teammates with senior forward Ryan Rosburg at Marquette High School before transferring to Madison College Prep and Imagine Prep. 

Payne is a 6-2 guard who can cause havoc from beyond the arc. He shot 43-percent from the field at John A. Logan last year and shot 40-percent from three-point range. Payne averaged 15.7 points per game and helped lead his team to a Great Rivers Athletic Conference title in 2015. He chose Mizzou over offers from Creighton and Kansas State.

Q & A with Martavian Payne:

Q: Why was Mizzou the right fit for you?

MP:  "Mizzou is big in St. Louis. I grew up in St. Louis and grew up a Mizzou fan. I know people who have played for the program, so I was really excited when I heard that Mizzou was offering me a chance to come play here."

Q: What will it be like to play in your home state for your home school?

MP: "It's going to be really exciting. I know there will be a lot of family coming over to watch me play, so it'll be really cool for me."

Q: How did your experience playing JUCO hoops prepare you for the Division I level?

MP: "I think it prepared me because it got me faster, stronger and helped me improve the abilities that I needed to work on to make my game better."

Q: How have you liked Mizzou so far since you moved here for summer workouts?

MP: "I like it a lot. Like any new place, I had doubts at first coming in. But once I got here, the players have treated me like a brother since day one. All the coaches are great too. I've loved getting on the court and working out as a team and scrimmaging on our own at the end of every workout."

Q: Describe your style of play to people who have never seen you play before.

MP: "I like to play defense, rebound, score and do anything possible to help Mizzou get the win. I'll bring scoring abilities, leadership and energy to this team. I'll be that guy who pumps the guys up, scores when we need a bucket, helps get big stops on defense and gets big rebounds. Anything to help."

Q: What was your favorite memory on the court growing up?

MP: "In high school, we won state here at Mizzou Arena. Plus at my JUCO, we also beat the No. 1 team in the nation (Vincennes) and won a conference title, so that was really exciting."

Q: What are you working on this summer to improve your game and adjust to this level?

MP: "I've been working on my ball handling, and I've worked to become more of a consistent jump shooter."