Portland State Head Basketball Coach Barret Peery added Zach Payne to his staff as an assistant coach in June of 2018.
Payne came to Portland State after spending the past two seasons as an assistant coach at Western Oregon. He had recently been elevated to the role of Associate Head Coach at WOU. Payne was part of a program that compiled a 49-15 record between 2016-18, 32-8 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, and won the GNAC regular season and tournament titles in 2017-18.
“We are really excited about Zach’s energy and passion for coaching basketball,” said Peery. “Everyone who knows him or has come in contact with him knows how great he is as a person and a coach.
“The other part I really like about Zach is what I liked about our recruits this year; Zach has been a winner and is used to winning wherever he has been. That’s very important for us as we continue to add pieces to our program.”
Payne helped coach a Western Oregon team that finished 31-2 in 2017-18 and was ranked as high as third in the nation at the NCAA II level.
“This was a really good opportunity to join a program on the rise in the Big Sky Conference and on the west coast. I am really happy to join a great coach, great people and a great staff,” said Payne of his move to Portland State. “I am excited to be a part of the culture Coach Peery has created and play my role.”
Prior to working at Western Oregon, Payne spent three seasons at Whitworth University. The Pirates were 74-12 those three seasons, winning three Northwest Conference regular season and tournament titles and advancing all three years to the NCAA III Tournament.
Originally from Danville, CA, Payne attended De La Salle High School where he earned East County All-Star honors for one of the nation’s top teams. He went on to play two seasons at Diablo Valley College, then finished his career at Whitworth. Payne earned a degree in Business Administration from Whitworth.
THE ZACH PAYNE FILE
2nd year at Portland State
Hometown: Danville, CA
Alma Mater: Whitworth, 2014, BA in Business Administration
Date of Birth: June 29, 1991
COACHING EXPERIENCE
2016-19 Western Oregon, Assistant Coach/Associate Head Coach
2013-16 Whitworth, Assistant Coach
