Staff Directory

JR Payne

Title:
Head Coach
Years At CU:
11th Season
Record At CU:
186-128 (.592)
Alma Mater:
Saint Mary's '99
Phone:
303-492-6086

•    11th year as CU head coach, 18th season overall as a head coach
•    186-128 (.592) record at CU
•   Career record of 287-241 (.544)
•   Record since 2020-21- 118-65 (.645)
•   Earned the No. 5 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, marking CU’s third straight appearance
•   Women’s NIT appearance in 2014 at Southern Utah, 2016 at Santa Clara and 2017 and 2021 at Colorado
•    Women’s BIT No. 1 seed and host in 2025
•     Has coached three All-Americans, three conference players of the year, 48 all-conference players and 45 all-academic team members as an assistant and head coach
•     Has been a part of six NCAA Tournament teams (2005 Arizona, 2007 Boise State, 2022/2023/2024/2026 Colorado ) and nine Women’s NIT/BIT/WBIT teams as an assistant/associate

At Colorado
•   Named the eighth head coach in CU history on March 28, 2016
•   Had contract extended in the spring of 2023
•   Replaced Linda Lappe, who was at CU for five seasons
•   Had career win No. 100 at CU against Western Michigan (Nov. 30, 2021) and career win No. 200 overall against Chicago State (Nov. 27, 2022)
•   Coached five players who’ve earned postseason awards from the Pac-12, including Kennedy Leonard (2017-18), Mya Hollingshed (2021-22), Quay Miller (2022-23), Jaylyn Sherrod (2022-23, 23-24) and Aaronette Vonley (2023-24).
•   In 2021-22, led CU to its first 20 win season since 2012-13 and its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017
•   Upset No. 1 Stanford 77-72 in overtime, claiming CU’s first win over a No. 1 opponent in school history (1/17/21)
•   Opened 2019-20 with a 12-game winning streak, CU’s best start since the 2011-12 season
•   Guided the Buffs to one of the best single-season turnarounds in school history in 2016-17 as they more than doubled their win total from the previous year, finishing the year 17-16 overall and tied for ninth in the Pac-12, a year after a last-place finish in the conference in 2015-16.
•   The Buffs also reached the third round of the WNIT in 2016-17, their first postseason appearance since 2014.
•   CU started the 2016-17 season 10-0 for just the fifth time in school history, including a win over No. 15/19 Kentucky
•   Became just the second CU coach to begin her career with 10 straight wins and the first since 1980.
•   In Pac-12 play, the Buffs’ signature win came on Feb. 12 when they upset No. 24 California on the road, their first win over a ranked team on the road since 2007.
•    Led Colorado to the second round of the WBIT in 2025

At Santa Clara
•   Spent two seasons at Santa Clara and had a 34-27 record
•   Led SCU to a 23-9 record in 2015-16, tying for third in the West Coast Conference with a 13-5 league mark
•   Santa Clara reached its first postseason appearance in 10 years in 2016, qualifying for the Women’s NIT
•   Signature wins included defeating No. 13 Stanford 61-58 in 2015-16 and LSU 69-67 in 2014-15, SCU’s first win over an SEC team in 19 years
•   SCU ranked third in the nation in steals (12.6), sixth in forced turnovers (21.7) and 29th in rebounding margin (+7.2) in 2015-16

At Southern Utah
•   Spent five seasons at Southern Utah
•   Her second season at SUU went 16-14 in 2010-11, the first winning season in seven years
•   Led SUU to a school record for wins and a share of the Big Sky Conference regular season championship in her final season in 2013-14 with a 23-10 record and reached the postseason for the first time in school history, playing in the Women’s NIT
Assistant Coaching Experience
•   Served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Gonzaga under Kelly Graves (current Oregon head coach), helping the Bulldogs go from 5-23 in her first season (2000-01) to 28-4 in her last (2004-05)
•   Moved to Boise State as an assistant for three seasons (2005-06 through 2007-08)
•   Was the top assistant at Santa Clara for one season in 2008-09 before becoming head coach at Southern Utah the following season
•   Helped Gonzaga to two Women’s NIT appearances and Boise State to an NCAA Tournament in 2007 and an NIT appearance in 2006

Education
•   Earned bachelor’s degree in French at Saint Mary’s (Calif.) in 1999
•   Earned four letters for the Gaels and helped them to a 26-7 record and their first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament as a senior in 1998-99
•   Was named first-team all-West Coast Conference and led the team in with 131 assists as a senior
•   Guided Saint Mary’s to two WCC Tournament championships

Personal
•   Born in Jackson, Tenn., but her family moved to North Vancouver, B.C., when she was a toddler
•   Husband Toriano Towns is the team’s associate head coach
•   “JR” is not her given name; her birth name is Ali-Marie, but she earned the nickname from her dad after J.R. Ewing because he was tough and she would fight with her older brothers (she does not use the periods between letters, however)