Dairy Farmers of Manitoba Athlete of the Week
Nathan Payne
The Rural High School Athlete of the Week is Nathan Payne of the Morden Thunder basketball team.
This 6'3 guard and co-captain helped the Thunder to a 3-1 record in their home tournament. For the weekend, he averaged 21.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 4.6 steals. This included a triple double against Treherne in which Nathan had 29 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists, and 5 steals, while shooting 7 for 9 (77.77%) from the 3-point line. Coach Ashley Hoitink states "Nathan is a tenacious defender who does all the little things that pay off at the other end of the court in fast breaks. Our stats don't truly show how disruptive he is, because we don't factor in the amount of deflections he gets. Nathan is a leader on the court and constantly motivates his teammate with his effort."
In grade 12, he also participates in golf and soccer.