Cleveland State University

Steve Payne begins his first season as an assistant coach on the Cleveland State men’s basketball staff and his third season with the program overall. Payne served as Special Assistant to the Head Coach in his first two seasons.
 
Payne brings over 30 years of collegiate coaching experience including eight seasons as a head coach to the Cleveland State bench. In his first two seasons with the program, he has played an integral role on the staff assisting with player development, scheduling, opponent scouting, game preparation and much more.
 
“I’m excited to reintroduce Coach Payne under this new title of Assistant Coach,” Coach Robinson said. “A longtime head coach himself, Coach Payne has been an instrumental piece of the puzzle the last few years, and an invaluable asset to myself and the rest of the staff. I am extremely fortunate to be surrounded by men of high character and integrity on this staff, and I can’t wait to get this season underway with this group.”
 
Payne has been integral in helping the Vikings to back-to-back 21-win campaigns in Robinson’s first two seasons in charge of the program. He has mentored three student-athletes who have earned postseason all-league awards and seen the program make back-to-back postseason appearances in the CBI.
 
Prior to joining the Cleveland State staff, Payne served as an assistant coach for three seasons at the University of Missouri Kansas City. Prior to that he spent 17 total seasons at Tennessee Tech University, including his final eight as the head coach. Payne amassed 118 career victories in his time leading the Golden Eagles program.
 
The Russell Springs, Kentucky native has also spent time at Frank Phillips Junior College, Georgetown College, Northwestern State University and Union University. Payne earned his bachelor’s degree from Union College in 1990 where he was a three-year starter and captain, scoring over 1,000 career points. He currently resides in Parma with his wife Kelli and three children, Parker, Paxton and Abby.