Yes, Payne played for a terrible LMU team but he was their best player. 13-17 teams can still have great players. I think Payne ended up committing to LBSU but he had interest/offers from quite a few much better programs IIRC.

I don't know what Bartley's numbers were last season but I doubt they were better than Bryant's and I'd say most of us on CB were sad to see Bartley go. Why? Because Bartley gave us some D off the guard line like none of our other guards and because we thought there was a role (and possible improvement) to be had by a guy with superior athleticism. Supposedly Bryant is also a good defender (although I haven't seen any highlights to prove it), and heaven knows we could use some of that on the perimeter.