Maize South’s Payten Ricks follows in father’s footsteps as senior standout at Abilene
So much of the previous chapter in Payten Ricks’ life was spent in West Wichita gyms under the guidance of his father during 5 a.m. workouts with the dream of some day becoming a Division I basketball player like him.
Ricks has fulfilled that dream in the last four years at Abilene Christian, where he was part of the team that played in the program’s first Division I NCAA Tournament. He’s the Wildcats’ leading scorer this season.
It’s fitting that this current chapter for Ricks included a return to his hometown Sunday. The former Maize South all-state player scored a game-high 19 points against the Shockers at Koch Arena in Wichita State’s 84-66 victory.
“It was very special to me because I’ve always wanted to follow in my father’s footsteps and make him proud,” Ricks said. “I’ve been wanting to do that my whole life, so it’s been really cool to see him be there for me every step of the way.”
David Ricks, Payten’s father, was a standout player for St. Mary’s, a Division II program in San Antonio, and even played briefly in the American Basketball Association in 2000. When it became apparent that his son wanted to play, too, David spent countless hours training him to prepare him for the next level.
He still remembers putting his son through cone drills and sprints when he was little. It was surreal for the father to watch his son, all grown up, steal three passes, drill fade-away jump shots and score 19 points at Koch Arena against a top team in college basketball.
“That’s the best part now. When you coach your kids and train your kids, you don’t really get the chance to appreciate what they turn into until you get to sit back and just watch,” David Ricks said. “Just being a parent and a fan at this point in his career is so much fun. I’ve had a lot of fun watching him mature. That kid has grown up a ton.”
Since Payten graduated from Maize South in 2016, his parents — David and Melanie — moved to Kansas City. So in a way, Sunday was a reunion for the Ricks family. Former Maize South teammates, coaches and parents came in support. David Ricks said even some of the family’s new friends in KC made the drive down.
Watching their son score a game-high 19 points with so much love and support in the stands brought Melanie to tears.
“Just seeing the impact he’s had on so many people and how many people appreciate him for just being a good kid, it made his mom cry,” David Ricks said. “We had so many people congratulating us and glad to see us again and had such great things to say about Payten. When you sit back and reflect on it, it was a little overwhelming. This whole day has been pretty special.”
Payten Ricks remembers a lot of confused people asking him about his college decision four years ago. It’s safe to say he made the right choice in taking a chance on a program that was early in its transition to the Division I level.
Abilene Christian won the Southland Conference tournament last March to advance to its first NCAA Tournament, where it faced Kentucky in the first round. That was the type of experience that Ricks had only dreamed about growing up in Wichita.
“I remember everybody was always like, ‘Where is Abilene Christian?’” Ricks said. “After last year, I think a lot more people know about us now. That was probably the best experience I’ll ever have. Hopefully we can get back there again. It’s been so much fun to see this program take off and it’s been really special.”
Ricks has taken his game to another level during his senior year. He’s averaging a team-best 13.6 points and 2.5 steals with a steal rate that ranks in the top-20 in the country. He added three steals against the Shockers and takes pride in how much he’s improved on the defensive end.
“Back when I first got here, (ACU coaches) would probably say I was one of the worst defenders,” Ricks said. “They’ve helped me confidence-wise and learn that it’s just about playing hard. It’s really just a mentality change. It’s always been there for me, but I just had to find it. You’ve got to learn how to play hard every possession and play to win every possession.”
Ricks did have some experience playing at Koch Arena from his high school days, and his father, David, pointed out he also has experience as an underdog. Maize South played Heights, East and Southeast in the AV-CTL vs. City League challenge with the Mavericks being considered underdogs each time.
Abilene Christian was a 21-point underdog Sunday, but that didn’t stop Payten Ricks from enjoying the experience.
“It was a surreal game, for sure,” Payten Ricks said. “It was a way different atmosphere at the college level. This is one of the top-five schools to play against atmosphere-wise. It was crazy. That’s obviously a Top 25 team right there, so it was fun to compete against them.”
Payten Ricks entered college with the goal of playing professionally. But his priorities have changed. He met his fiancee, Lexie, in college and now Payten plans on pursuing a job in business management following his playing career and wedding in June.
It’s just the next chapter for Payten, who continues to make his father proud.
“That’s part of the growth process I’m talking about,” David Ricks said. “I told him that he was way further along than I was at that point in his life than I was. He’s got things figured out and he’s got his stuff together. As parents, we’re so proud of him.”
This story was originally published December 29, 2019 at 8:04 PM.
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