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New Women's Basketball Coach JR Payne

Buffnik

Real name isn't Nik
Club Member
Junta Member
Email from the AD today:

Dear Women's Basketball Season Ticket Holders,

As a valued member supporter of Colorado Women's Basketball, our athletic director Rick George would like to extend a personal invitation to you to join us as we introduce our new Head Women’s Basketball Coach.

Today, Monday, March 28, we will host a meet and greet with our new coach at 2 p.m. in the lower gym at the Coors Events Center. We would love for you to join us! Parking is available in the surrounding metered lots and street. Please enter the buliding at the entrance located off Regent Drive.

Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to having you join us for this special event. Please see the official announcement below.

PAYNE NAMED CU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL COACH

BOULDER – JR Payne, who led Santa Clara University to its first winning record since 2008, has been named the eighth head women’s basketball coach in University of Colorado history, athletic director Rick George announced Monday.

She has signed a five-year contract and the hire will become official pending approval of CU’s Board of Regents, as is the case with all high-profile campus positions.

“There was a lot of interest in the position, which confirmed this is viewed as one of the top coaching jobs in women’s basketball,” George said. “After interviewing JR and hearing from several coaches that have worked with her, she rose to the top and we’re excited to name her as our head coach.”

Payne, 38, replaces CU’s coach for the past six seasons, Linda Lappe, who stepped down from the post on March 7.

"I am thrilled and honored to be the next women's basketball coach at the University of Colorado,” Payne said. “There is such a rich tradition within the women's basketball program that I cannot wait to immerse myself in. CU is unique in the landscape of college basketball in that it combines a world class education with world class athletics. I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to be here in Boulder and cannot wait to get started".

Santa Clara was 23-9 this past winter, tying for third in the West Coast Conference with a 13-5 league mark. The Broncos’ season ended with a 59-53 loss at Fresno State in the first round of the Women’s NIT, the school’s first postseason appearance in 10 seasons. SCU was down by 11 at one point but rallied to tie the game at 52-all with just under four minutes to go before falling to the Bulldogs.

One of the wins included a 61-58 victory at No. 13 Stanford, Santa Clara’s first win at its Bay Area rival in 32 years; it was the second win on what would become a 12-game winning streak. It was just one of seven regular season setbacks for the Cardinal, who advanced to the Elite Eight. The Broncos defeated Gonzaga, 59-58, in the quarterfinal round of the WCC tourney before falling in the semifinals to BYU, an eventual No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament.

The Broncos were one of the nation’s top defensive teams, allowing opponents just 37 percent shooting (40th in the NCAA) and 58.4 points per game (54th), while forcing 21.7 turnovers (sixth) and averaging 12.6 steals (third); Santa Clara was also 29th in rebound margin (+7.2).

In two seasons at Santa Clara, she compiled a 34-27 overall record. Her first team upset Louisiana State, 69-67, the school’s first win over a Southeastern Conference school in 18 years, and advanced to the second round of the WCC tournament.

Her first head coaching position was at Southern Utah University (Cedar City), where in five seasons, the Thunderbirds posted a 67-86 record, including a 23-10 mark in 2013-14 that set a school record for wins. That team was also 15-5 in league play, earning a share of the Big Sky Conference’s regular season title, and earned SUU’s first-ever invitation to postseason play, the women’s NIT.

Southern Utah won its first round game at Colorado State, 71-56, before succumbing in the second round – 79-68 at Colorado; the Buffs also defeated Payne’s T-Birds during the regular season in Boulder, 75-59, the first and only time she coached a game in CU’s Coors Events Center.

That SUU team set four major school records, including points scored (2,454), field goals made (830) and free throws made (629) and attempted (839); the 74.1 scoring average was the second-best by a Southern Utah team. Her top performer, Hailey Mandelko earned first-team All-Big Sky honors as a junior and senior and was also on the postseason All-Tournament team her final year there.

She helped Southern Utah transition from the Summit League into the Big Sky Conference for the 2012-13 season, piloting the Thunderbirds to a 15-16 overall record and a 9-11 mark in league play.

Her second SUU team in 2010-11 finished with a 16-14 record, the school’s first winning season in seven years, and more than doubling the win count in her first season when the Thunderbirds were 7-23 (SUU had just 24 wins in the three seasons before her arrival). The senior-led Thunderbirds were 10-8 in Summit League play, with forward Challis Pascucci earning first-team All-League honors. Her third SUU team was 6-23, but reflected her most youthful squad in her coaching career, with no seniors and just two juniors, but formed the nucleus for the T-Birds success two years later.

Payne determined that coaching was going to be her career path after graduating from St. Mary’s (Calif.) in 1999 with a degree in French. Her first position was as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Gonzaga under one of her college head coaches, Kelly Graves, where she would spend five seasons (2000-01 through 2004-05). Gonzaga went from 5-23 in her first season there to a 28-4 mark in her last, which included a 14-0 mark in the WCC. During her time there, she helped recruit Gonzaga’s first All-American, guard Shannon Mathews as well as help the Bulldogs to their first postseason appearance in 10 years with back-to-back invites to the NIT.

She then moved on to Boise State under new head coach Gordy Presnell for the three seasons (2005-06 through 2007-08); Presnell had replaced a former CU letterwinner, Jen Warden. Together they turned around the fortunes of the Broncos, leading them to a pair of postseason berths, one being the school’s first NCAA tournament appearance in 13 seasons in 2007. BSU was 15-15 in her first season, but then posted 24-9 and 24-8 records in winning two Western Athletic Conference titles.

Payne would then go on to serve as the top assistant coach at Santa Clara for the 2008-09 season under Jennifer Mountain. That team had its struggles in going 4-27, and she would eventually replace Mountain as the Broncos’ head coach six years later.

Overall in 16 years as an assistant and head coach, she has been a part of four conference championships and six postseason appearances. She has helped coach two All-Americans, three conference players of the year, 34 All-Conference players and 31 All-Academic team members.

She was born in Jackson, Tenn., but her family moved to North Vancouver, B.C., when she was a toddler. She graduated from North Vancouver’s Windsor Secondary School where she started in basketball, earning a scholarship to St. Mary’s (Calif.).

Payne earned four letters at St. Mary’s, helping the Gaels to a 26-7 record and their first-ever trip in school history to the NCAA tournament as a senior in 1998-99. The former point guard led the team in assists that season with 131, and still ranks on the school’s all-time top 10 lists for both assists (291, seventh) and steals (137, ninth). She was an All-West Coast Conference first-team performer as a senior and was selected to the WCC All-Tournament Team as a junior and senior, when St. Mary’s won both postseason tournaments. She played under two coaches in her time there, Terri Rubenstein for two seasons and Kelly Graves, now the head coach at Oregon for her last two, with the Gaels posting a 79-38 record with her as a player.

The Story Behind Her First Name: “JR” is nowhere close to her real name; her birth name is Ali-Marie. “When I was two, I was always fighting with my older brother. My Dad used to watch Dallas and J.R. Ewing was a tough guy, so he started calling me J.R. It’s just stuck through the years though you’ll find I’m not anywhere as mean as the character on television.” She doesn’t use periods, however, and goes by “JR.”
 
1330017.jpg

And she has coached at the keg before.
 
I am sure there is discussion of this in another thread, but I figured she deserved her own.



Payne-_JR.jpg


2015-2016 @ Santa Clara: 23-9 (W at #13 Stanford, First round loss in WNIT)
2014-2015 @ Santa Clara: 11-18
2013-2014 Santa Clara, prior to JR Payne: 10-20

2013-2014 @ Southern Utah (Big Sky) 23-10 (Second round loss in WNIT)
2012-2013 @ Southern Utah (Big Sky) 15-16
2011-2012 @ Southern Utah (Summit) 6-23
2010-2011 @ Southern Utah (Summit) 16-14
2009-2010 @ Southern Utah (Summit) 7-23
2008-2009 Southern Utah, prior JR Payne: 9-20




 
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In 2010-11 She took her team to its first winning season since 2003 with a roster that had 3 seniors and 10 underclassmen.
In 2013-14 She took SUU to the postseason for the first time ever as far as I can tell

In 2015-2016, she took Santa Clara to its first winning record since 2008 and the first WNIT appearance since the 05-06 season.

She seems to be a pretty good builder, so I would not expect an immediate impact in the W/L department. However, she does have a higher baseline of talent than at any other of her stops so she could surprise.

A solid hire, but not as flashy as I was expecting. Also, her name is going to generate some allsome hashtags.

#BringThePayne
#PayneTrain
#NoPayneNoGain
 
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Wait a minute. She's married to an assistant coach on her squad?!?

Looking at the places where he coached prior to Santa Clara, it looks like he and JR probably fell for each other while they were assistants together.

AZCXEWXBNWHSKRA.20131017163814.jpg

Toriano Towns enters his fifth season as associate head coach for the Thunderbirds. Towns serves as SUU’s recruiting and defensive coordinator, assists with the planning of practice sessions, conditioning, scouting, and also works with the Thunderbird post players.

During his first four seasons with the Thunderbirds, Towns helped forward Challis Pascucci develop into one of the premiere low post players in the Summit League. After the 2009-10 season Pascucci earned All-Summit League second team honors after leading the conference in rebounding and tied for the lead in blocked shots. She also set the SUU single-season record for total rebounds with 291 and her 46 blocks were the fifth most in SUU single-season history. Pascucci earned a spot on the All-Summit League first team after finishing third in the conference in scoring (17.7 PPG), second in rebounding (9.7 RPG) and sixth in blocks (23). Pascucci finished the 2011 season as the Thunderbirds all-time leader in career rebounds (929) and fourth in scoring (1,328).

Towns joined Southern Utah after spending four years at Boise State University as the Broncos defensive coordinator. During his time at BSU, the Broncos won back-to-back Western Athletic Conference championships, earned a trip to the NCAA tournament, advanced to the second round of the WNIT tournament, had a pair of First Team All-WAC guards and set numerous offensive and defensive school records.

Prior to Boise State, Towns spent one season as an assistant coach at the University of Arizona, helping the Wildcats record a 20-win season and a post a first round NCAA Tournament victory against the University of Oklahoma. Towns played a major role in recruiting and scouting at Arizona. He worked with the Wildcat post players, assisting with the development of Shawntinice Polk who became one of the country’s most decorated post players being named to the Kodak/WBCA All-American team, first-team All-Pac-10 team, and Kodak/WBCA all-Region 8 team.

Towns’ coaching career began at Gonzaga University where he served as an assistant for three seasons. At Gonzaga, Towns was responsible for post player development, where he coached five All-West Coast Conference performers along with holding responsibility for scouting and game preparation. He also served as the co-recruiting coordinator for the Bulldogs. During his time at Gonzaga, he helped orchestrate the second-best turnaround in WCC history as the Bulldogs went from eighth in 2002-03 to second place in 2003-04, posting an 18-12 overall record. That team advanced to its second-ever Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT).

Towns earned his bachelor’s degree in communications from Saint Mary’s College in 1998 and his Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University.

“Toriano has been a great addition to Southern Utah women’s basketball,” head coach JR Payne said. “He’s a proven recruiter on a national scale and will continue to elevate our recruiting to a new level. Toriano is a fierce competitor on the court and is extremely passionate about the growth and development of our student-athletes, not only as players but also as people. He is great resource that will continue to contribute in the building SUU women’s basketball.”

http://www.suutbirds.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=20100&ATCLID=3748796
 
Looking at the places where he coached prior to Santa Clara, it looks like he and JR probably fell for each other while they were assistants together.

AZCXEWXBNWHSKRA.20131017163814.jpg

Toriano Towns enters his fifth season as associate head coach for the Thunderbirds. Towns serves as SUU’s recruiting and defensive coordinator, assists with the planning of practice sessions, conditioning, scouting, and also works with the Thunderbird post players.

During his first four seasons with the Thunderbirds, Towns helped forward Challis Pascucci develop into one of the premiere low post players in the Summit League. After the 2009-10 season Pascucci earned All-Summit League second team honors after leading the conference in rebounding and tied for the lead in blocked shots. She also set the SUU single-season record for total rebounds with 291 and her 46 blocks were the fifth most in SUU single-season history. Pascucci earned a spot on the All-Summit League first team after finishing third in the conference in scoring (17.7 PPG), second in rebounding (9.7 RPG) and sixth in blocks (23). Pascucci finished the 2011 season as the Thunderbirds all-time leader in career rebounds (929) and fourth in scoring (1,328).

Towns joined Southern Utah after spending four years at Boise State University as the Broncos defensive coordinator. During his time at BSU, the Broncos won back-to-back Western Athletic Conference championships, earned a trip to the NCAA tournament, advanced to the second round of the WNIT tournament, had a pair of First Team All-WAC guards and set numerous offensive and defensive school records.

Prior to Boise State, Towns spent one season as an assistant coach at the University of Arizona, helping the Wildcats record a 20-win season and a post a first round NCAA Tournament victory against the University of Oklahoma. Towns played a major role in recruiting and scouting at Arizona. He worked with the Wildcat post players, assisting with the development of Shawntinice Polk who became one of the country’s most decorated post players being named to the Kodak/WBCA All-American team, first-team All-Pac-10 team, and Kodak/WBCA all-Region 8 team.

Towns’ coaching career began at Gonzaga University where he served as an assistant for three seasons. At Gonzaga, Towns was responsible for post player development, where he coached five All-West Coast Conference performers along with holding responsibility for scouting and game preparation. He also served as the co-recruiting coordinator for the Bulldogs. During his time at Gonzaga, he helped orchestrate the second-best turnaround in WCC history as the Bulldogs went from eighth in 2002-03 to second place in 2003-04, posting an 18-12 overall record. That team advanced to its second-ever Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT).

Towns earned his bachelor’s degree in communications from Saint Mary’s College in 1998 and his Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University.

“Toriano has been a great addition to Southern Utah women’s basketball,” head coach JR Payne said. “He’s a proven recruiter on a national scale and will continue to elevate our recruiting to a new level. Toriano is a fierce competitor on the court and is extremely passionate about the growth and development of our student-athletes, not only as players but also as people. He is great resource that will continue to contribute in the building SUU women’s basketball.”

http://www.suutbirds.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=20100&ATCLID=3748796

Looks like they were both at St Mary's at the same time as students?
 
A lot of Santa Clara, Gonzaga, and St. Mary's history between the two of them. Maybe the WBB recruiting will shift a bit towards California, with all of this WCC background. They probably know it well.
 
I don't know anything about her. I was hoping for someone who had a little more experience at a high level - especially in the area of recruiting. I hope she has the what it takes to succeed at this level.
 
Her Santa Clara team beat Stanford there this season, something Colorado has never done.

Now that it is done, I wish Coach Payne much success. Her first and most important job right now is to keep Kennedy Leonard, Alexis Robinson, Mackenzie Ellis and Monica Burich at CU.

Wish I lived in Colorado so I could attend the press conference.
 
Wait a minute. She's married to an assistant coach on her squad?!?
This sure seems like a bit of an issue to me. Makes for a very strange dynamic in the workplace. And it really doesn't matter whether Toriano is experienced, an awesome assistant, whatever.

PS I suppose there are ways to work around the issue, but seems difficult at best.
 
This sure seems like a bit of an issue to me. Makes for a very strange dynamic in the workplace. And it really doesn't matter whether Toriano is experienced, an awesome assistant, whatever.

PS I suppose there are ways to work around the issue, but seems difficult at best.

She addressed this in the press conference. Said that they have players and recruits and former colleagues that were initially unaware that they were married. Basically said they aren't a married couple when it comes to being on the court. Obviously she has to say this but I am confident the dynamic will work out.
 
She addressed this in the press conference. Said that they have players and recruits and former colleagues that were initially unaware that they were married. Basically said they aren't a married couple when it comes to being on the court. Obviously she has to say this but I am confident the dynamic will work out.
Happy wife, happy life. He'll do everything he can to make this a winning program, so he doesn't have to sleep on the couch.
 
JR said that her style of basketball will be "Blue Collar". Her teams will out hustle, out work, out effort, and out rebound opponents.

Her and Tad should get along very well.
 
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