STRONGER THAN EVER lege. During his time at Georgetown, the Tigers compiled a 128-22 record, won three conference titles in four years, and won the NAIA national title in 1997-98. The team finished second at the NAIA National Tournament in 1999-00, and advanced to the Sweet 16 two other years. Payne also served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Northwestern State (La.) University where he helped NSU to its best conference finish in a decade. Before NSU, he was an assistant coach at Union University in Jackson, Tenn., where he was recruiting coordinator and helped lead the team to back-to-back 20-win seasons.
erations of the program, the Golden Eagles raced out to an 8-2 start with losses at Dayton and Cincinnati. Payne continued to handle a major portion of the coaching duties for the remainder of the year, helping to lead Tech to an 18-11 record and the semifinals of the OVC Tournament. During the 2010-11 season, Payne headed the Golden Eagles on two OVC road trips in Sutton’s absence and guided the team to three wins in four games. In his nine years, Payne has helped Tech post 149 wins and two of the program’s five 20-win seasons, hitting that mark in 2002-03 and again in 2010-11.
While his title changes, Payne sees the program going through a seamless transition. “I’ve always taken ownership of this program,” he says. “It’s different suggesting to the head coach what you think is best for the program, and being the one with the final say, but I feel I’m prepared for this. I’ve done this before. “We have great players, a great staff, and great administration, and I’m looking forward to continuing the upward trend of men’s basketball at Tennessee Tech.”
Payne said he was greatly influenced by Sutton during the past nine seasons. “Spending nine years around coach Sutton will be a huge benefit,” Payne said. “He’s a very knowledgeable coach. We’ve been through a lot and I’m ready to take the next challenge. I want to face what’s ahead of us. “I appreciate and will always owe a debt of gratitude to Mike Sutton for bringing me here. The lessons I’ve learned from him over the last nine years cannot be measured. He has taught me so many things, but the main thing is that a basketball program should be about relationships first. The relationships we have with each other, and with our community, are what make a basketball program special. “I couldn’t be more proud to be representing a university community and a man in coach Sutton who has handled a very tough situation with such class and poise.” Payne is a graduate of Russell County High School in Russell Springs, Ky., and earned his bachelor’s degree from Union College in Barbourville, Ky., in 1990. Payne and his wife, Kelli, have three children — sons Parker (12) and Paxton (10), and daughter Abigail (7).
Following the 2005-06 season, Payne was recognized for the role he played in Tech’s success while Sutton began his recovery. He was named OVC Coach of the Year by CollegeInsider.com and was listed as one of 15 finalists for the Hugh Durham Award honoring the mid-major coach of the year. CBSSportsline.com also named him OVC Coach of the Year. Payne began his career at Tech after serving as the head coach at Frank Phillips Junior College in Borger, Texas. Prior to taking the reins at Frank Phillips JC, Payne was associate head coach for four years at Georgetown (Ky.) Col-
2011-12 GOLDEN EAGLE BASKETBALL
69