Portland State Head Basketball Coach Barret Peery has added Zach Payne to his staff as an assistant coach for the 2018-19 season.
Payne comes 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 has been part of a program that has compiled an 49-15 record over the past two seasons, 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 this past season 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.
At Portland State, Payne replaces Kahil Fennell, who went on to a role with the University of Louisville basketball program. Payne joins a program that was 20-14 this past season and reached the CollegeInsider.com post-season tournament. It was the most wins by the Viking program in nine seasons.
http://goviks.com/news/2018/6/5/zach-payne-joins-viking-mens-basketball-coaching-staff.aspx
