Colorado University Athletics
Photo by: CUBuffs.com
Payne Named Coach of the Year Candidate
February 21, 2024 | Women's Basketball
On of 15 coaches on the late-season watch list
ATLANTA – Colorado bench boss JR Payne was one of 15 head coaches from across the country listed as a candidate for the 2024 Werner Ladder Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year Award by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Wednesday.
It is the second season in a row that Payne has been included on the late-season watch list. She is one of five coaches from the Pac-12 Conference included on the list.
Payne has led the No. 11 Buffs to a 20-5 record for the second consecutive season, including a 10-4 conference mark. Colorado hit the 20-win mark in its 23rd game of the season, the earliest it has reached 20 wins since the 1994-95 season (22 games).
Colorado has three top-10 wins this season, marking the most in program history. The Buffs are the only team to knock off the No. 1 team in the country this season, handing then-top-ranked LSU a 92-78 loss on the season's opening night. CU jumped from No. 20 in the preseason polls to No. 5 following the victory, marking the largest in-season poll-to-poll rise in AP poll history. The Buffs have spent all 16 weeks in the AP top 25 this season, including 14 inside the top 10.
The Werner Ladder Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year award candidates will be narrowed down again on Thursday, March 14.
Payne and the Buffs hit the road this weekend for a pair of ranked matchups. CU will open with No. 7 USC on Friday (Pac-12 Network) and then take on No. 12 UCLA on Monday (ESPN2).
2024 Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year Late-Season Watch List
It is the second season in a row that Payne has been included on the late-season watch list. She is one of five coaches from the Pac-12 Conference included on the list.
Payne has led the No. 11 Buffs to a 20-5 record for the second consecutive season, including a 10-4 conference mark. Colorado hit the 20-win mark in its 23rd game of the season, the earliest it has reached 20 wins since the 1994-95 season (22 games).
Colorado has three top-10 wins this season, marking the most in program history. The Buffs are the only team to knock off the No. 1 team in the country this season, handing then-top-ranked LSU a 92-78 loss on the season's opening night. CU jumped from No. 20 in the preseason polls to No. 5 following the victory, marking the largest in-season poll-to-poll rise in AP poll history. The Buffs have spent all 16 weeks in the AP top 25 this season, including 14 inside the top 10.
The Werner Ladder Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year award candidates will be narrowed down again on Thursday, March 14.
Payne and the Buffs hit the road this weekend for a pair of ranked matchups. CU will open with No. 7 USC on Friday (Pac-12 Network) and then take on No. 12 UCLA on Monday (ESPN2).
2024 Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year Late-Season Watch List
|
Coach |
CONFERENCE |
SCHOOL |
|
Lisa Bluder |
Big Ten |
Iowa |
|
Kenny Brooks |
ACC |
Virginia Tech |
|
Cori Close |
Pac-12 |
UCLA |
|
Lisa Fortier |
WCC |
Gonzaga |
|
Lindsay Gottlieb |
Pac-12 |
USC |
|
Felisha Legette-Jack |
ACC |
Syracuse |
|
Kevin McGuff |
Big Ten |
Ohio State |
|
Jeff Mittie |
Big 12 |
Kansas State |
|
Wes Moor |
ACC |
NC State |
|
Kim Mulkey |
SEC |
LSU |
|
Pac-12 |
Colorado |
|
|
Scott Ruek |
Pac-12 |
Oregon State |
|
Vic Shaefer |
Big 12 |
Texas |
|
Dawn Staley |
SEC |
South Carolina |
|
Tara VanDerveer |
Pac-12 |
Stanford |
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