Kamin Commits To Penn
Over the holiday weekend, Worcester Academy senior Payton Kamin announced his commitment to the University of Pennsylvania, a member of the prestigious Ivy League Conference.
Kamin’s commitment comes on the heels of a massive season with the Hilltoppers, as he and Amir Jenkins helped lead the squad to a NEPSAC AA title.
Throughout the season, Kamin was part of a 2025 class many questioned — wondering why their recruitment hadn’t risen to match the level of play they consistently displayed.
That sentiment proved valid when you look at Kamin’s season numbers: 27.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 2.1 steals per game, while shooting 52.4% from the field and 41.7% from three.
Those numbers led the NEPSAC in scoring and earned him First-Team All-NEPSAC honors, along with a spot on the National Prep Championship All-American Honorable Mention list.
While he made plenty of noise in New England, Kamin’s basketball journey began in Illinois.
“Before Worcester Academy, I was at DePaul Prep in my hometown of Chicago,” Kamin said.
“DePaul Prep has become the premier basketball school in Chicago, led by legendary Coach Tom Kleinschmidt. Coach Kleinschmidt had an incredible influence on my development.”
“In my first year, I started every game, and we came in third place in the State of Illinois. In my second year playing for him, we won a state championship,” he continued. “I received all-conference, all-city, and all-area accolades, but what I’m most grateful to Coach Kleinschmidt for is teaching me toughness. I needed that toughness to overcome all of the trials and tribulations over the last two years.”
Those years included injury setbacks that changed the course of his recruitment.
“I actually missed the last two AAU seasons because of fluky injuries,” Kamin shared.
“Two years ago, two days before the first AAU tournament, I broke my foot playing lacrosse”—a sport he had never played before and was simply messing around with friends.
“Missing that AAU season is the real reason I transferred to prep school. My recruiting took a nose dive after missing AAU, and I wanted to play against a higher level of competition and be seen by more college coaches.”
Unfortunately, his bad luck continued.
“Once I started at Worcester Academy, I dislocated my shoulder in the last fall open run before the season began,” Kamin said. “I tried to play through the season, but I missed lots of games because my shoulder dislocated a few times. Eventually, I had to face the difficult reality of needing surgery to repair it.”
Knowing that surgery would take him out for months during a critical recruiting period, Kamin made the tough choice anyway.
“After surgery, my prognosis was to avoid playing live basketball for six months,” he explained. “But I completely dedicated every ounce of focus and energy that I had into my recovery. I spent countless hours with my trainer, Jeff, working to get back stronger than ever.”
Recovery wasn’t easy.
“It was painful, it was brutal, it was hard work, but the work I put in paid off,” he said. “My doctor cleared me to play after three and a half months, which was the fastest he had ever seen someone recover from reconstructive shoulder surgery.”
Once cleared, Kamin locked in on his final season: “From there, my sole focus was helping Worcester Academy win a championship and crushing it on the court.”
Despite the injuries and the delayed recruiting process, Kamin stayed steady.
“I tried my hardest not to let recruiting distract me during the season,” he said. “Even though it was tough with constant calls and texts from coaches, and all of my teammates had already committed, I just focused on what I could control: my attitude and my effort.”
After capturing the NEPSAC AA championship, Kamin turned his attention fully to the next step.
“It was hard to wait for the perfect situation,” he admitted, “but I had faith that I had done enough both on the court and in the classroom so that the right situation was going to eventually present itself.”
That patience ultimately paid off.
“My patience definitely paid off when Coach McCaffery offered me the opportunity to play at Penn!”
For Kamin, it wasn’t just about going Division One—it was about finding the right academic fit, too. Ironically, that opportunity came from a familiar face.
“My recruiting story and how I landed at Penn is really ironic, and it came full circle with Coach McCaffery,” he said.
“The first recruiting letter I ever received in the mail was from Iowa and Coach McCaffery during my freshman year. On June 15th, the first day coaches could contact me after my sophomore year, the very first call I got that morning was from the Iowa staff.”
“Growing up in Chicago, in Big Ten Country, I was really familiar with Iowa’s system, and I always believed it suited my strengths perfectly. The former staff from Penn recruited me, too, so I was already familiar with the program. But when Coach McCaffery took the job at Penn and reached out, I knew it was the perfect fit.”
Before closing, Kamin took time to reflect and show appreciation for those who supported him.
“I really owe everything to my family,” he said. “My dad, mom, sister, and grandparents have been so supportive of my dreams since I was little. I can’t even begin to explain how much they have sacrificed for me. I am forever grateful.”
He also expressed gratitude toward the coaches and trainers who helped shape his game.
“I’m also incredibly grateful to my coaches at Worcester Academy. My connection with Coach Jamie is something I’ll always be thankful for—it’s built on genuine care and mutual respect.”
“I’m also really grateful to Coach Mullins from the Illinois Wolves. My greatest basketball regret is not being healthy enough to have played for him more, yet he has been so incredibly supportive of me through my injuries and never stopped believing in me and encouraging me.”
“There are also several coaches and trainers who have invested in me over my childhood. They know who they are, and many of them have truly become family to me and my nuclear family.”
And finally, he gave a shoutout to those he’s gone to battle with over the years.
“Lastly, I truly appreciate every teammate I’ve ever had—from the guys I played with at Worcester Academy to DePaul Prep before that, going all the way back to my first AAU teammates. I really can’t think of one teammate that I’ve had that I don’t love.”
While his chapter in New England has come to a close, Kamin’s next begins at Penn, where he’ll not only compete in the Ivy League, but also earn a degree that sets him up for life after basketball.
Amir Jenkins
Payton Kamin