Men's Basketball Adds Pair of Transfers for 2026-27
Central Connecticut State University head men's basketball coach Patrick Sellers has announced Victor Payne and Jhace Johnson will be joining the program for the 2026--27 season. Payne joins the Blue Devils after transferring fromSaint Francis University, while Johnson comes to Central from Cochise College.
Payne is a 6-foot-4 guard who spent two seasons at former NEC member, Saint Francis U. A native of Cromwell, CT, Payne played in 55 career games and started 27 games in 2025-26. He posted carer averages of 4.7 points and 2.6 rebounds while shotting 42.4 percent from the field. He averaged 23.7 minutes per game as a sophomore and collected 33 assists, 29 steals and 15 blocked shots. He played four seasons at Cromwell High School and scored 1,629 points to rank second all-time at the school. He was a GametimeCT First Team All-State selection and two-time Shoreline Conference Player of the Year. Payne helped his team to the state championship and three conference titles, while averaging 26.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game as a senior after posting 26.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game as a junior. His father, Victor, was a four-year letterwinner at CCSU from 1996-00, and a member of the Blue Devils' first NEC Championship team.
"We are very happy to have Victor join the Central Connecticut program," said Sellers "He is an elite shooter and could be one of the top all-around players in our league, along with having Division I experience. Victor has familiarity with our program at CCSU and we look forward to him joining the Blue Devils family."
Johnson is a 6-foot-1 guard who comes to CCSU from Cochise College in Arizona. Johnson played in 62 career games, including 49 starts, over two seasons. He averaged 10.8 points, 4.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game, while playing 25.4 minutes. As a sophomore he helped Cochise to the NJCAA West District title game, while scoring 13.8 points with 4.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game, while shooting 48.6 percent from the field. A native of Lanham, MD, he attended 53 Academy and was a two-time Second Team All-Big Shots, three-time First Team All-Big Shots and Misal League Honorable Mention Former Blue Devil, Jay Rodgers, also played at Cochise College.
"Jhace will be a great addition to the Central Connecticut program," said Sellers "He brings experience and will bring an athleticism and toughness that will give him the opportunity to contribute immediately. Jhace possesses a great deal of speed and we look forward to him contributing to our culture of success."
