The 2018-19 season will be the fourth for Marcus Payne as an assistant coach on Chrissy Roberts' staff.
In his first three seasons with the Colonels, Payne helped the team advance to back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship games. In 2015-16, he was part of a staff that helped EKU win 18 games and go 10-6 in conference contests. A year later, Eastern became the first No. 7 seed in league history to advance to the tournament finals. The Colonels knocked off No. 2 seed Morehead State and No. 3 seed Southern Illinois Edwardsville en route to the title game.
Payne helped forward Jalen O’Bannon develop into one of the top players in program history. She earned first team all-conference honors in 2015-16 and 2016-17. O’Bannon scored nearly 1,000 points and grabbed more than 500 rebounds in two seasons as a Colonel.
Payne brought more than 25 years of college coaching experience with him to Richmond, including stints at three different Ohio Valley Conference schools. He was an assistant coach at Austin Peay from 1994-96 and, again, from 2006-2010. Payne helped the Lady Govs win three OVC Tournament titles during his tours in Clarksville (1996, 2009 and 2010). He was also an assistant coach at Southeast Missouri (2010-11) and, most recently, at Tennessee State (2011-14).
“Marcus brings a wealth of college coaching experience – including experience within our conference – and he has recruiting connections that span the entire country,” Roberts said. “He is an invaluable asset to our players and program.”
Payne began his coaching career at his alma mater, Southwestern College, in Winfield, Kansas. He was the head women’s basketball coach at Southwestern from 1986-1993, and led the Lady Builders to a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) title in 1992.
After serving as the head coach at Brown Mackie College in Overland Park, Kansas for one season (1993-94), Payne arrived at Austin Peay for the first time in 1994. His initial stint in Clarksville culminated with the Lady Govs’ first-ever OVC Tournament title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 1996.
Following his first stop at APSU, Payne spent time as an assistant coach at UNLV (1996-98) and Barton County Community College in Great Bend, Kansas (1998-99). He won a Jayhawk Western Conference Championship with Barton County in 1999.
Payne then served as the associate head coach at Missouri-Rolla from 2001-06 before returning to Austin Peay in 2006. His second tenure at APSU was even more successful than his first, as he helped head lead the Lady Govs to back-to-back OVC Tournament crowns in 2009 and 2010.
Payne was an assistant coach at Southeast Missouri during the 2010-11 season, and then spent three years in Nashville (2011-2014) as an assistant coach at Tennessee State. During the 2014-15 season he served as the head girl’s basketball coach at Fort Campbell High School in Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
“Everywhere Marcus has gone, he’s won,” Roberts said. “He is great at player development, especially post players. He brings energy and a love-for-the game that is infectious.”
Payne earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education, health and recreation from Southwestern College in 1987.
