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April 9, 2009

7:30 P.M. CST

Cully Payne, the 6'2 point guard from Schaumburg High School in Schaumburg, IL verbally committed today to the University of Iowa after meeting with Hawkeye head coach Todd Lickliter at both his high school and his home. Payne's commitment was confirmed by Mike Weinstein, the CEO of the Rising Stars traveling team program which Payne played for.

Payne had enjoyed an outstanding campus visit to Iowa City last week and after that it was only a matter of time before his commitment became a formality. Not only that, but having previously decommitted from both DePaul and Alabama, Payne was hoping to close out his recruitment as quickly as possible, which is exactly what happened.

There is no question that Iowa provides Payne with an ideal fit, as he will be able to come in and receive immediate playing time at the point guard position, a spot where the Hawkeyes had been looking for instant help.

Also deserving a ton of credit for helping Iowa to close the deal with Payne is assistant coach Chad Walthall, who accompanied Lickliter on his visit to Schaumburg today and has built an extremely strong relationship with Weinstein and the Rising Stars program. Walthall also has the Hawkeyes involved with a number of other prospects who play on the Rising Stars 17-under team, including 6'5 Alex Rossi from New Trier High School in Winnetka, IL, 6'2 shooting guard Ben Brust from Mundelein High School in Mundelein, IL and 6'10 center Jordan Threloff from De Kalb High School in De Kalb, IL. All are class of 2010 prospects.