The Snider Panthers will have one of the area’s more multi-faceted players leading their roster into the 2019-2020 season in senior Payton Gorman. The three-sport star has a last name that should resonate with fans of basketball in Fort Wayne for many years, and she will be another Gorman who could make a major wave because of the Panthers’ immediate need in the scoring department.
Gorman will be the leading returning scorer at 9.1 points per game while also pulling down 4.7 points and having 1.3 steals per contest a season ago. Six of her nine games scoring in double figures happened consecutively early last season. While her 20 points against East Noble was her best game, the 16 points at the end of November in a loss to Norwell was the most impressive performance next to her 14 points and 11 rebounds against Bishop Luers. She is also tough at the free throw line where she shoots 72 percent.
The track and field standout recently committed to run for Bowling Green next year, but very easily could be playing basketball on the next level. Gorman won the 400-meter dash at sectional and finished seventh at the state meet as a junior, where she also qualified in the 200. She is a gritty athlete that has a deep passion and work ethic for her game and can be a lock-down defender. She does need to work on becoming a stronger finisher at the rim (she shot seven percent worse from two-point range than she did three-point range).
“Payton has improved with her speed also,” says Snider coach Gregory Addison. “Defense is what will be the heart of our team this year and a lot of time will be put on defensive IQ.”
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