By STEVE SMITH from the Border Mail

THE Albury-Wodonga Bandits have been rocked with the news captain and leading scorer Nick Payne will not play for the club next season.

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In a massive blow to the Border club, Payne has accepted a full-time teaching job at exclusive Haileybury College in Brighton, Melbourne, starting next year.

The 25-year-old admitted the decision to leave was hard but the professional opportunities the job presented proved too much to resist.

“It’s an unbelievable school, a really good opportunity for me,” Payne said.

“It will be just so good for my teaching experience.

“I’ve grown up playing here and the past two years in a Bandits uniform have been the best two years I’ve played.

“It wasn’t an easy thing to decide to accept the position and move away, but it’s something you have to do, and certainly I’d love to come back and play for the Bandits again, I just don’t know when.”

The loss of Payne means almost the entire starting five from this season is unlikely to come back next year, with DJ Oates the lone returning starter.

Payne joins Brad Sheridan, Josh Morgan, Luke McKerrow and Tom Remmerswaal, along with retiree Allen McCowan, as certain departures from the Bandits.

The 190cm guard was the Bandits most consistent offensive option this year, scoring a career-high 24 points per game while adding almost seven rebounds per match.

Bandits coach Jim Wilson said he spoke briefly with Payne and would learn more when he returned from holidays next week.

“I know he’s been offered a teaching job in Melbourne and that’s all I know at this stage,” Wilson said.

“He rang me a couple of nights ago and basically said this had come up. Where we go from here I’m not sure yet.

“I’m away for another week, when I get home I’ll sit down with Nick and see what we can work out.”

Wilson admitted finding a replacement for Payne would be difficult, but he remained hopeful another Border player would eventually step up to the challenge.

“Because he’s (Payne) a local kid, to try to get someone to put up the numbers he can, it will be very difficult to replace him, but I suppose it’s all about challenges,” Wilson said.

“From a personal point of view, it’s probably disappointing to lose a local player that has been developed here, but with that, it gives an opportunity for others to develop.”

Payne said he would continue to play basketball, preferably in the SEABL, nominating the Knox Raiders, among others, as his preferred destination.

“I’d like to stay in the SEABL but I’ll also talk to some of the better teams in the Big V, keep my options open,” he said.

“I see Knox as a pretty professional unit, I wouldn’t mind playing there; Kilsyth have had some good teams, they seem like a good club and Nunawading have a good coach in Sedale Threatt, they could be fun to play for.

“I’ll go down there with an open mind and see who is interested in having me play.”