Jada Payne has been the catalyst for the East Carolina Pirates this season. The red shirt senior is in her third year with the purple and gold after playing her freshman season at La Salle, where she was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team.
The 7-9 Pirates have relied heavily of Payne and her shooting as she ranks 10th nationally in points per game (20.8) and 18th in double-doubles with nine. Besides playing for the purple and gold Payne has even bigger dreams for her future that Coach Heather Macy believes are attainable. "We believe Jada will be the first WNBA draft pick in our program. We are making women's basketball relevant in Eastern North Carolina". If playing basketball doesn't work out for Payne she wants to take her leadership skills and use them on the side of the court as a Division I coach.