By Robert Wilson
Fifty years ago, back in the mid-1970s, Jessie Jordan was a scoring machine for Murrah High, once scoring 19 points in a quarter. And that was before the 3-pointer.
Flash forward to today, his grandson, Raymond High senior forward Eric Paymon, is a great scorer also, but he can also rebound, block shots and pass. And he did it all last week against one of the best centers in the country.
The 6-foot-9 Paymon had 15 points, 11 rebounds, 6 blocked shots and 3 assists against previously undefeated Canton and their star, 6-8 Jamarion Fleming, for a 46-35 victory Saturday in the BASSA Holiday Classic at Mississippi College’s A.E. Wood Coliseum in Clinton.
For his outstanding performance against one of the best teams and players in Mississippi, Paymon has been selected the PriorityOne Bank/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Boys Basketball Player of the Week.
Paymon also had 14 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocked shots for MHSAA Class 4A Raymond in a 52-41 victory over MHSAA Class 6A Warren Central last week.
The matchup between Paymon – the No. 1 ranked player in Mississippi in the Class of 2024 by ESPN – and Fleming – the No. 1 ranked player in Mississippi and the No. 18 ranked center in the country in the Class of 2025 by 247 Sports – was much anticipated. In addition to his points, rebounds, and blocked shots, Paymon made 7 of 13 shots from the field, 1 of 2 from 3-point range. Fleming had 16 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocked shots.
Both players are members of the PriorityOne Bank/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Preseason Elite 11 Team.
“We knew going in it would be a great matchup with their big (Fleming),” Raymond coach Tony Tadlock said. “He’s definitely one of the best players in the state. EJ showed his versatility being able to protect the rim, put the ball on the floor and make plays, and being able to score from all three levels. It was definitely a great show to see both of these great players go at each other.”
Paymon is averaging 20.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 3 blocked shots for 13-3 Raymond this season. He has career highs of 29 points, 23 rebounds and 8 blocked shots.
“EJ (Eric’s nickname) has a tremendous skill set,” Tadlock said. “Having back-to-back double doubles shows he can do more than score. We talk about being an all-around player and impacting the game in various ways and he did that last week.”
Paymon has Division I offers from Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Texas Christian University, New Mexico State, Oral Roberts, Georgia State, and Morehead State.
Paymon averaged 22.1 points and 10.3 rebounds and helped Raymond to a 27-7 record and a MHSAA Class 4A runner-up finish, the team’s seventh straight state championship appearance, and made first team All-Metro Jackson last season as a junior.
He was named the Mississippi Association of Coaches Class 4A State Player of the Year last season.
“EJ is not your typical No. 1 player in the state in that he looks to get his teammates involved as much as he likes to score,” Tadlock said. “His work ethic is what sets him apart as he is often the first in the gym and the last one to leave. EJ is a high character, super coachable kid.”
Paymon is the son of Eric and Kimberly Paymon. Eric played basketball for two years at Provine High and two years at Forest Hill High. He graduated from Hinds Community College. Kimberly graduated from Forest Hill and Hinds CC.
Eric has one sister, Eriel Paymon, who was a cheerleader at Murrah High, graduated from the University of Memphis and is now in her second year as a dancer for the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA.
Both of Eric’s grandfathers played high school basketball. Harwell Paymon (Eric’s father) played at Jim Hill and Jessie Jordan (Kimberly’s father) played at Murrah.
Raymond plays Princeton, Ohio, High Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in the first round of the 40th annual Gulfport Holiday Classic at Gulfport High.
Mississippi Scoreboard selects a boys basketball player from Hinds, Madison, or Rankin counties each week. Coaches can nominate a player by text or call to Robert Wilson at 601.506.2276.
Previous Players of the Week
Week One: Mike Williams, Jackson Academy
Week Two: Dylan Rowe, Madison Central
