JR Payne has officially agreed to terms on a five-year extension with the University of Colorado, and thus, will be under contract with the Buffaloes through the 2027-2028 season.
This past season, Payne captained the CU Buffs to their first Sweet 16 appearance in 21 seasons, and their only Sweet 16 appearance that didn’t feature Ceal Barry at the helm of the operation.
With that in mind, one could argue she’s already the second-most accomplished coach in the history of Colorado Buffalo basketball.
“JR Payne has done an outstanding job with our basketball program,” Colorado’s Athletic Director Rick George said. “I have a lot of confidence in her ability to lead and create an outstanding culture in her program and I’m excited that we have extended her contract. After reaching the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season and making a run to the Sweet 16, I felt that this was the right time to make this change to her contract. I look forward to the program continuing its upward trajectory moving forward.”
Payne’s coaching performance was especially exemplary this past season, considering the Buffs were picked to be the eighth-best team in the Pac-12, and instead, finished the season as the third-best team in the conference, and one of the 16-best teams in the nation.
“I’m so thankful to Rick George and our administration for their support and belief in our staff,” Coach Payne expressed, via a CU press release. “We have poured our heart and soul into building this program into something special and we’re so thankful for the opportunity to continue to push ourselves to national prominence. We love Colorado and know that we will continue to do everything we can to make all of Buff Nation proud! We’re ready to keep doing big things in Boulder!”
Big things appear to be on the way too.
Almost all of the team’s key contributors, including seniors Jaylyn Sherrod and Quay Miller, have the potential to return, plus the team also has two of ESPN’s top 80 players in the 2023 recruiting class joining the roster.
It’s possible that the Colorado Buffaloes are on the verge of entering another era of dominance in women’s hoops, and we’ve only just now finished the first chapter.