Kathleen Payne is in her third season as an assistant to head coach Whitney Edwards at The College of Saint Rose.
A decorated collegiate player, she has four years of basketball coaching experience wrapped around a four-year tenure in the United States Air Force.
Payne plays a prominent role with the Saint Rose women’s basketball program. She is engaged in all aspects of it including recruiting, overseeing the team’s drills and fitness circuits, implementing practice plans, facilitating player study halls to ensure appropriate academic progression, and tape review.
Prior to her arrival at Saint Rose, Payne was an assistant coach at Russell Sage College and Clarkson University.
She helped lead the Gators to a three-win improvement from the previous year and a second place finish in the Empire 8 Conference during her one season in 2019-20. She also helped develop a D3Hoops.com All-East pick and a pair of Empire 8 All-Conference honorees.
At Clarkson, Payne helped the Golden Knights double their win total in 2014-15 when they finished 18-8 after going 9-15 a year earlier. She was subsequently honored, along with her fellow coaching staff members, as the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year. In addition, a pair of student-athletes under her tutelage garnered Liberty League All-Conference accolades.
In between her coaching stints, Payne served as an Air Force Munitions Controller in Tucson, Ariz. She held a bevy of responsibilities including directing ongoing munitions and weapons maintenance activities, informing personnel on the various explosive operations, and performing upload and deliveries of munitions in support of seven flying squadrons that comprised 120 total aircraft.
Payne was a four-year standout at SUNY Plattsburgh. She garnered Honorable Mention All-America accolades from two organizations and was named the SUNYAC Player of the Year as a senior. She completed her career as the Cardinals’ all-time leading scorer and rebounder.
Following her collegiate career, she was a member of the All-Air Force Women’s Basketball Team.
Payne earned a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from SUNY Plattsburgh and is scheduled to complete her MBA studies at Russell Sage in May of 2022.
