A New Era: Loree Payne Hired as Women’s Basketball Head Coach
Photo by Amy Suh
Loree Payne was introduced by President Julie Sullivan and Athletic Director Heather Owen as the new head coach of Santa Clara University women’s basketball on Monday afternoon. Payne, who spent the last eight years as head coach at Northern Arizona University, brings with her a robust winning culture—she is the Lumberjacks’ all-time wins leader with 136 to her name.
The native of Havre, Montana, spent her own collegiate career at the University of Washington from 2000-03, where she was a two-time All-Pac 10 First Team selection and averaged an impressive 14.4 points per game over her career. She was also a three-year team captain. Payne helped lead the Huskies to two NCAA tournament berths, including an appearance in the Elite 8 in 2001.
Like many former players, Payne wanted to stay around the game and did not hang up her sneakers after her time on the court was finished. She immediately transitioned from player to coach, with stints as an assistant coach at various stops before settling down as the head coach at the University of Puget Sound, where she coached for seven years before moving on to Northern Arizona.
In the twelve seasons before Payne arrived, Northern Arizona did not have a single winning season; by the time she left, they had become a postseason-caliber team. Payne’s Northern Arizona team had over 20 wins in each of the last three seasons, including their first-ever postseason victory this past 2024-25 season. Payne was also named Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year in 2023 after the Lumberjacks won the conference title. Her transformation of the Northern Arizona program should make Bronco fans excited for the future of women’s basketball at Santa Clara University.
“What drew me to Santa Clara is what I built my coaching career on—building a program from the ground up with intention, vision and a strong sense of purpose,” Payne said in her introductory press conference.
When asked about her coach, former Northern Arizona guard Emily Rodabaugh said: “The women at Santa Clara are getting someone who really cares about basketball, enjoys the game and never stops learning about the game. … She loves to win, knows how to win and knows how to build a program with really solid pillars of foundation.”
Payne is aware of the challenges that await but has a blueprint for how to hit the ground running. “I think there’s an incredible opportunity here. The returners we have set a strong foundation and I have a coaching staff that can get out there and recruit. It’s all about getting in the gym, player development and really starting to implement our system,” said Payne, regarding her new position.
Payne brought nearly her whole Northern Arizona staff with her to the Bay Area, including her offensive and defensive coordinators. They plan to implement a completely new system—one focused on what Payne coined “transition offense and energy on defense.”
“I’m excited to work with these student athletes,” said Payne. “My goal is to build a team that plays with energy, toughness, joy, pride and something that the entire Bronco community can rally behind.”
