Pharrel Payne explains return, recovery ahead of year two with Maryland men's basketball

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Maryland men’s basketball welcomes 11 new pieces alongside its returners, but arguably none loom larger than redshirt senior Pharrel Payne.

The 6-foot-9 center appeared in only ten games after suffering a pair of injuries that deraiedl year one of the Buzz Williams era. The first came in an eventual road win against Marquette after Payne fell to the floor in a splits position while grabbing his hip, eventually being helped off the court. Payne would go on to miss the five-point win over Mount St. Mary’s four days later before returning for the Player’s Era Tournament. Yet the decision for head coach Buzz Williams and his staff to remain “cautious” proved to matter this offseason.

“If he would’ve played [against Mount St. Mary’s], he would have not got his year back,” Williams said during media day on Thursday.

His second injury is what sidelined Payne for the season after going down in the closing minutes of the first half against second-ranked Michigan, leading the star center to be helped off the floor once more in the Big Ten home opener. That led Payne to come to terms with reality, in time, with the mental hurdle the toughest part about the setback.

“We weren’t doing the best to begin with and then I was hurt. The mental part of it is the biggest part that nobody really talks about, but it’s always tough to know that you’re out for the season. At that point in time, I felt like there’s nothing I can do to help,” Payne said.

In time, Payne transitioned from the impact center to a vocal veteran after “speaking life in the guys” became his focus, whether it be in practice, during team dinners or on trips. Williams pointed to Payne’s off-court development as a key reason why he’s remained an integral part of the program, but it also helped Payne avoid the uncertainty about a second season in College Park.

“Just tried to not focus on that, trying to get back to being 100% healthy. And if it happened, it happened. If it didn’t, it didn’t.”

Maryland was able to open the offseason with news that the Texas A&M transfer was expected to return to the program for a second season, while Payne revealed he was fully cleared to return just prior to the start of summer workouts in June. Yet with a chance to turn the page from a disaster season, Payne’s injury and Maryland’s 12-win season provides the motivation for a turnaround in year two.

“It’s a motivation to prove yourself, prove that we can do this. There’s always a response to everything. You’ve got to make it a positive response,” Payne said.

With the preseason All-Big Ten selection anchoring a lineup that features a veteran presence with DJ Wagner taking over at point guard, Payne is also part of the reason why the frontcourt has drawn optimism with New Mexico transfer Tomislav Buljan expected to start at the four. The 6-foot-9 Croatian forward averaged a double-double during his lone season with the Lobos, recorded at least 14 rebounds in seven games and registered a career-high 21 boards in 29 minutes against Mississippi St. on Nov. 21.

“Pharrel is a problem by himself and Tommy’s a problem by himself,” Oklahoma State transfer Robert Jennings said. “Putting them together is a whole different situation.”

Buljan’s impact on the glass will be relied on in Buzz Williams’ system, but Payne admitted that, “it hurts to go against Tommy at practice.”

“Having another really physical body, obviously it helps in rebounding and I think rebounding is like one of those things that we put as our core pillars on our team,” Payne said. “Just having another guy that’s really physical – our physicality is borderline the same. Having a guy that’s next to you that you feel like you just run through a wall with really helps.”

Buljan called Payne one of the “toughest bigs” he’s played with during his career as the two have established chemistry over the last three months.

“He makes me better because he’s really physical. I think I can only benefit from it as well, like getting used to that, it’s going to be easier to play against other guys this season,” Buljan added.

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