Boys Newcomer of the Year: Willis Smooth Operator For Fayetteville

FAYETTEVILLE -- Payton Willis knew as soon as he joined the Fayetteville boys' basketball program he could have a big impact.

The 6-foot-2 sophomore guard wasted no time putting his stamp on the program. In Willis' first career game at Bulldog Arena on Nov. 25, there were no signs of young nerves. No indication of the new kid on the block hesitant to take the big shot.

Instead, Willis reeled off 24 points, hitting 10 of 12 shots in a 47-39 win over Springfield (Mo.) Parkview.

For Fayetteville, it was a sign of things to come.

Willis continued to show off those same scoring skills throughout the season, leading the Bulldogs in scoring while also showing a knack for unselfishness at just the right times. A young sophomore mixed in with a group of seniors who led Fayetteville through a rebuilding year in 2013-14, Willis always seemed to handle every situation in stride.

And for his efforts, he has been named the All-NWA Media Boys Newcomer of the Year for Class 6A and 7AS schools.

"We really didn't know who was going to be our go-to guy when we came in at the first of the year," Willis said. "(The coaches) just told me to be strong with the ball and be a leader on the court.

"It was a little surprising at first. But I knew I had put in a lot of work."

Fayetteville had seniors Luke Renner and Mason Adams it could turn to for big outside scoring chances. And in the post C.J. O'Grady and Blake Young also provided a dual threat. But Willis was the most consistent of them all, averaging a team-high 13.6 points per game along with 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.1 steals.

"He's not as athletic as a Kevaughn Allen at North Little Rock, but you don't really notice and he's got 15 or 20 points," Fayetteville coach Kyle Adams said. "He's just so smooth offensively, he handles it with either hand, he's got a good jump shot and he shoots the 3 well.

"He can go left, he can go right and he's very patient with the basketball and that's what excites me."

Adams said Willis wasn't assertive when he first joined the team and some of that unselfishness even showed up on the court. With Fayetteville in need of a playmaker to take over games, Willis had to know when it was his time to be the guy.

By the state playoffs, it appeared the sophomore was in full takeover mode. Against Conway in the first round of the Class 7A Tournament, Willis scored 10 points and grabbed four rebounds -- in overtime alone -- leading the Purple'Dogs to a 54-49 victory.

"That was a great experience," Willis said. "That's something we can carry over into next season."

Fayetteville finished 15-14 this season, after back-to-back 7A state championship games appearances the previous two years. But with Willis back in charge of things on the court, the Bulldogs expect to be back near the top of the 7A-West Conference in the near future.

"Me and C.J. should be more of leaders next year on the team," Willis said. "So I'll have to come back more of a leader, more of a vocal leader."

Sports on 03/29/2014