Nicholls State University Director of Athletics Jonathan Terrell announced Friday the hiring of Justin Payne as the 10th head women’s basketball coach in program history. The hiring is pending approval from the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors.
“Justin Payne is the perfect person to lead our women’s basketball program and I could not be more ecstatic in re-welcoming him back to the Colonel Family,” Terrell said. “Justin is the true definition of a Colonel – he was a student-athlete here, he spent a decade in Thibodaux as a coach, and he and his family love and embrace this community. When he left, he could not wait to come back home. The success he had as a head coach at Georgia Southwestern combined with helping build our program to a championship level in his 10 years at Stopher Gym made him the obvious choice. We are beyond excited for the future of Nicholls Women’s Basketball.”
Payne, a former player on the Colonel men’s basketball team and long-time assistant for the women’s program, made his way back to the Bayou after spending four years as head coach at Division II Georgia Southwestern. Payne amassed a 69-35 overall record in his tenure with the Lady Hurricanes, highlighted by a historic 2022-23 campaign. GSW claimed a program-best 26 victories which included a 13-5 record in the Peach Belt Conference en route to the school’s first-ever regular season and tournament titles.
“Thibodaux/Nicholls is home to my family and me. We are extremely blessed to be a part of the Colonel Family again,” Coach Payne said. “I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I would like to thank Director of Athletics Johnathan Terrell and President Dr. Jay Clune for the opportunity to lead Nicholls Women’s Basketball into its future. The vision they have for the athletic department and the University is a major reason we are elated to be back home. We are excited to get to work and look forward to being back in this great community of Lafourche Parish.”
Georgia Southwestern won its first two games in the NCAA Southeast Regional this season by an average of 22 points before falling short of an Elite 8 appearance with a setback against top-seed Catawba. Despite the loss, the Lady Canes had two players named to the All-Tournament team.
The 20-win campaign was the second straight for Georgia Southwestern under Payne. After an 11-15 inaugural season and a 9-6 record in a condensed 2020-21, the Lady Canes put together a breakout year with a 23-7 overall mark.
The 2021-22 squad shattered several program and school records, including, most wins – which they broke again the next season, the first team to host a conference tournament game, and the first women’s team to be selected for the NCAA Tournament. Their final addition to the Georgia Southwestern record books was becoming the first team either men’s or women’s to win a game in the NCAA Tournament. Ava Jones, Kayla Langley, and Jolicia Williams were also the first trio in team history to earn All-Peach Belt Conference honors and they repeated the feat in ’22-23.
Payne put an emphasis on protecting their home court, leading GSW to a stellar 38-14 record at the Storm Dome in his four seasons. After going .500 in his rookie campaign, Payne’s Lady Canes had three consecutive winning records at home including a dominating combined 28-5 record over the last two years.
A native of Opelousas, Payne began his coaching career at Nicholls as a graduate assistant under DoBee Plaisance. He then served as an assistant for eight seasons as the Colonels enjoyed their most successful decade in program history. The biggest achievement for the Red and Gray was their run through the 2018 Southland Conference Tournament, winning the title as a No. 4 seed to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.
Nicholls set the program record for single-season victories three times, winning 15 games in 2012 with the last being the team’s first-ever tournament win in an upset of top-seed Central Arkansas, 19 victories in 2013 and again in the championship season. The Colonels then posted a 20-win campaign in Payne’s final season in ’19 which ended with the program’s first appearance in the Women’s Basketball Invitational.
Prior to coaching, Payne was a four-year letterman and three-year starter at point guard for the Colonel men’s basketball team. He led the team for three seasons in assists, tallying a total of 329 in his career which ranked him sixth in the Colonel record books. During his tenure as a player, Payne started 89 of 111 games played.
Payne and his wife, Ravae’, have a three-year-old son, Joshua and two-year-old Rayah.
An introductory press conference will be held on Tuesday, April 4 at the Boucvalt Athletic Complex. It is scheduled to begin at noon.
