July 22, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - A pair of former Knights recently signed new professional deals for the 2008-09 season. Dexter Lyons has re-signed with CB Illescas in Spain and Lavell Payne inked a contract with Pardubice in the Czech Republic.
Lyons will compete in Spain's LEB Gold division, which is regarded as one of the top leagues in Europe. This past season, he played for CB Illescas and averaged 13.9 points and 4.4 rebounds. Lyons helped his squad capture the LEB Silver division title.
Lyons played for the Knights from 2002-04. The small forward was a member of UCF's 2004 NCAA Tournament squad. As a senior, he averaged 18.3 points, earned Atlantic Sun Conference First Team honors and was named the league's defensive player of the year.
Payne concluded his two-year UCF career in 2007. Last year, he played in Bulgaria for CSKA Sofia and the power forward averaged 14.0 points and 7.4 boards. He paced Bulgaria's first division in blocks per game (1.4).
A member of UCF's 2006-07 team that won 22 contests and finished second in Conference USA, Payne averaged 10.8 points and 5.5 rebounds as a senior.
Season tickets for the Knights' second campaign at the new UCF Arena are slated to go on sale later in July.
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