The Coaching Staff Page 8 Head Coach Eddie Payne Page 10 Assistant Coach Steve Smith Page 11 Assistant Coaches Mackie alker and Bill Burrows
Head Coach Eddie Payne 8 The Eddie Payne File July 10, 1951 inston-salem, N.C. Family Married his wife, Ann, on May 23, 1981. The couple has a son, uke, who is a senior on the USC Upstate men s basketball team. ake Forest B.A. in Communications - 1973 Clemson M.A. in - 1978 Playing History ake Forest Men s Basketball (1970-71) Professionally France (1973-74) Head Coaching History Truett-McConnell 1978-79 Belmont Abbey 1981-86 East Carolina 1991-95 Oregon State 1995-2000 Greensboro College 2000-02 USC Upstate 2002-present Clemson 1975-78 East Carolina 1979-81 South Carolina 1986-91 Eddie Payne is a veteran of the coaching sideline, having spent 22 years as a head coach, including six at the helm of the USC Upstate men s basketball team. After 22 years, three NCAA Tournament appearances, two Coach of the Year honors and two Peach Belt Conference championships, Payne takes the next step in his coaching career, leading Upstate into competition for the first time in 200708. Payne has coached at all levels and Divisions of college basketball, beginning his head coaching career on the junior college level and moving through the ranks in the NAIA and, II and III. He has compiled a 353-287 record in 22 years of coaching. Payne returned the USC Upstate men s basketball program to national prominence on the I level, leading the Spartans to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA D-II Tournament in 2004-05 and 2005-06. His Spartan teams won two straight league championships in the Peach Belt Conference, claiming a share of the regular season championship with Kennesaw State in 2004-05 and winning the conference tournament title for the first time in school history in 2005-06, securing Upstate s second straight I Tournament appearance. Payne s 2006-07 team finished with a 17-11 record, the fourth winning record and fifth non-losing mark in five seasons with the Spartans. In 2005-06, he led Upstate to a 20-10 record and the program s first-ever Peach Belt Conference Tournament championship. The Spartans advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year and maintained a Top 25 national ranking early in the season. Payne had a monumental year in 2004-05, returning Upstate to the top of the Peach Belt Conference by winning the North Division title and claiming a share of the Peach Belt Championship with South Division foe Kennesaw State. The Spartans jumped into the NABC/I Top 25 at No. 15 on Jan. 25, 2005 and moved as high as No. 8 in the poll during the season. Upstate settled for a final No. 25 national ranking. He also led the Spartans into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 1997-98 season, advancing to the second round before losing to eventual national champion Virginia Union. On a personal note, Payne reached 300 career wins in his 20th year of coaching, earned Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year honors, and was named South Atlantic Region Coach of the Year. In his first year as head coach of the Spartans in 2002-03, Payne restored USC Upstate to the level of success it has been accustomed to since the early 1980 s. The 2002-03 Spartans recorded an 18-11 record, finished second in the North Division of the Peach Belt Conference, and advanced to the semifinals of the league tournament. In 2003-04, Payne led the Spartans to a third place finish in the North Division and claimed 14 wins on the season. Payne came to USC Upstate after serving as the head men s basketball coach and assistant athletic director at Greensboro College for two years. Prior to that his stint at Greensboro College, Payne served at the helm of the Oregon State program from 1995-2000. Among his victories were wins over Stanford (No. 15 in 1996-97 and No. 6 in 1998-99), UCA (No. 8 in 1998-99) and Arizona (No. 9 in 199899 and No. 3 in 1999-2000). Payne also coached four Pac-10 All-Freshman team members, including Corey Benjamin. He also coached three Pac-10 All-Newcomer and three Pac-10 All-Academic honorees. He recruited and coached Deaundra Tucker, who went on to finish as the eighth leading scorer in the history of the program. Before his stint at Oregon State, Payne was the head coach at East Carolina from 1991-95. He led the Pirates to 56 wins in his four years at the school and won the program s only Colonial Athletic Association tournament championship in 1993. His 199495 squad went 18-11 and his teams won 33 games in the final two seasons he was the head coach of the Pirates. ECU defeated James Madison in the conference championship game to advance to the NCAA Tournament in 1995. ECU was pitted against North Carolina in the first round of the tournament, but were eliminated by the eventual national champions. He coached five CAA All-Rookie and two All-Conference selections at the school. Payne began his head coaching career at TruettMcConnell College in Georgia, leading the junior college program to a 25-5 record in his only season at the helm of the program in 1978-79. Payne became the head coach at Belmont Abbey in 1981 and remained at the helm of the program for five years, leaving the position after the 1986 season. He tallied a 103-51 record in five years at the helm of the program. In addition to his stints as a head coach, Payne has also served as an assistant coach at three NCAA Division I programs. He was on the sidelines at Clemson from 1975-78 as an assistant during the Tree Rollins era. From 1979-81, he was an assistant at East Carolina where he made such an impression on the athletic administration that he was hired as the head coach of the program 10 years after his departure as an assistant. Payne also served on the coaching staff of George felton at South Carolina from 1986-91. The Gamecocks tallied an 87-62 record during Payne s stint at the school. South Carolina advanced to the NCAA East Regional in 1988-89 and the postseason NIT in 1990-91. Payne coached six All-Metro Conference selections during his tenure, including standouts Jo Jo English and John Hudson. Payne graduated from ake Forest with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications in 1973. He was a member of the Demon Deacon basketball team, earning team Most Valuable Player honors as a senior. Upon graduation, he continued his playing career professionally in France from 1973-74. He earned a Master of degree from Clemson in 1978 while serving as an assistant coach. He graduated from East Mecklenburg High School and was an All-State selection in basketball. Payne and his wife, Ann, have an 21-year-old son, uke, who is a senior on the Spartans basketball squad. Mrs. Payne is a former women s head coach at Alabama, Charlotte, Belmont Abbey and Berry College.
Head Coach Eddie Payne Eddie Payne at USC Upstate 2003-04 (14-14) imestone #North Greenville #enoir-rhyne (OT) Carson-Newman est Virginia Tech Tusculum Carson-Newman (OT) imestone Kennesaw State (3OT) ander 62-50 68-65 72-65 63-73 79-81 53-63 92-80 79-60 58-55 73-87 63-62 57-68 80-67 62-41 75-51 65-55 54-65 66-56 67-65 63-68 71-52 64-66 72-67 59-66 82-94 72-40 68-49 61-57 59-70 80-79 84-77 85-74 67-70 94-85 85-70 78-77 64-84 89-96 90-77 65-80 73-65 65-76 63-83 82-87 44-49 65-79 46-57 64-68 72-51 56-65 80-66 79-63 84-79 69-74 ander * # Upstate Tip-Off Classic 71-60 81-65 67-68 2004-05 (24-8) Co-Peach Belt Regular Season Champions 76-79 #Southern esleyan 103-69 #enoir-rhyne 72-65 67-61 North Greenville 85-65 imestone 85-71 $inston-salem State 49-46 $Johnson C. Smith 70-67 Appalachian State 74-84 imestone (OT) 74-77 ingate 73-59 80-71 74-65 80-68 Kennesaw State (OT) 81-70 70-52 90-73 75-55 70-83 59-61 ander 65-79 101-57 Ga. College & State Univ. 71-57 78-67 71-70 ander 81-64 70-38 * 75-55 * 79-63 * 81-93 %inston-salem State 63-59 %Virginia Union 67-85 #Upstate Tip-Off Classic $inston-salem State Tournament *Peach Belt Tournament %I South Atlantic Regional 2005-06 (20-10) Peach Belt Tournament Champions imestone 64-55 enoir-rhyne 78-69 imestone 75-64 47-46 82-65 79-77 63-74 55-66 ingate 71-69 89-72 GCSU 96-76 69-62 Eddie Payne Coaching Career Head Coach Division USC Upstate I Greensboro College II Oregon State East Carolina Belmont Abbey NAIA Truett-McConnell JUCO Total Years 2002-present 2000-02 1995-00 1991-95 1981-86 1978-79 22 Years Assistant Coach South Carolina East Carolina Clemson 1986-91 1979-81 1975-78 Record 93-54 21-31 55-88 56-58 103-51 25-5 353-287 49-50 77-64 89-94 62-40 81-61 60-82 64-68 ander 75-79 64-78 GCSU 74-78 71-56 ander 70-48 76-67 77-63 * 69-68 *ander 76-65 * 73-49 % (3OT) 88-90 *Peach Belt Tournament % I South Atlantic Regional 2006-07 (17-11) Bellarmine (OT) 73-82 Newberry 64-61 78-69 #Salem International (OT) 79-77 #Fayetteville State 82-64 82-66 %est Virginia State 88-96 %ingate 69-90 68-64 73-70 87-75 69-72 Georgia Southwestern 57-43 65-48 69-86 74-56 68-63 62-66 Georgia College & State 62-66 76-61 49-74 ander 65-59 64-47 75-67 61-68 ander 66-67 69-52 * 43-63 # Carolina Ford Dealers Holiday Tournament at Fayetteville State % ingate Tournament 2002-03 (18-11) #Auburn-Montgomery #enoir-rhyne imestone est Virginia Tech Edward aters imestone Tusculum ander Kennesaw State ander * * # Upstate Tip-Off Classic 9
Assistant Coach Steve Smith Steve Smith is in his sixth season as assistant men s basketball coach at USC Upstate. He is involved in all aspects of the program and serves as the recruiting coordinator for the Spartans. Smith has been a member of Eddie Payne s coaching staff since Payne took over the Upstate program in 2002. He was promoted to the top assistant position in 2005. Under Smith s stint as an assistant at Upstate, the Spartans have won two Peach Belt Conference (I) championships, the regular season championship in 2004-05 and the league tournament title in 2005-06. He has helped lead Upstate to two I Tournament appearances, advancing to the second round of the tournament in 2005. He has coached two players, Kevin Harrington The Steve Smith File Dec. 11, 1972 Varnville, S.C. Family He and his wife, Fran, have a daughter, Tayler Trinity College B.A. in Information Systems Playing History Morgan State 1991-93 Allen 2000-02 and Jay Free, who finished their careers with over 1,000 points. hile a member of the Spartan coaching staff, Smith has helped lead Upstate to a 93-54 record in five seasons. Upstate has not had a losing season during that time frame. Smith attended Morgan State from 1991-94, playing on the basketball team for two seasons. He left Morgan State to enlist in the Army. He served in the Army from 1994-2000 and was stationed at Ft. Gordon (Ga.) and Ft. Meade (Md.). hile in the Army, he worked with computers, gaining valuable training in the field. He also participated on the All-Army basketball team that traveled throughout the country playing exhibition games against Division I colleges and universities. In addition, the team played other United States service teams, as well as international military teams. Smith enrolled at Trinity College just outside of ashington D.C. upon leaving the Army in 2000. He finished his degree requirements through correspondence courses while working as an assistant women s basketball coach at Allen University in Columbia, S.C., from 2000-02. A native of Varnville, S.C., Smith attended ade Hampton High School near Beaufort. He was a twotime All-Region selection and a member of the varsity boys basketball team for three years. He helped lead ade Hampton to three conference championships and an appearance in the lower state 2A championship. Smith and his wife, Fran, have a daughter, Tayler. 10 His sister-in-law, Britniesha, is a member of the USC Upstate women s basketball team.
Assistant Coaches Mackie alker Second Year at USC Upstate Oct. 29, 1978 Aiken, S.C. offord College B.A. in Psychology imestone College 2002-06 to his coaching background, alker has worked as an instructor at several summer instructional camps throughout the Southeast, including the Tubby Smith Camp at the University of Kentucky, UNC Charlottes camp for Bobby utz, Eddie Fogler s camps at South Carolina and Morgan ooten s camps in Maryland. He has also served as coach and administrator at many events for talent scout Bob Gibbons, including the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions and Bob Gibbons Evaluation Clinics. A native of Aiken, S.C., alker played high school basketball in Augusta, Ga. Bill Burrows First Year at USC Upstate The Bill Burrows File July 31, 1944 Baltimore, Md. College B.A. in Elementary estern Carolina M.A. in School Administration Goergia Tech 1983-84 Towson State 1987-88 Bill Burrows is in his first year as an assistant coach with the men s basketball program at USC Upstate. Burrows is a veteran of the bench with over 30 years as a head coach on the high school level in North Carolina and as an assistant on the level at Georgia Tech and Towson State. Burrows got his head coaching start at T.C. Roberson High School before moving on to coach former NBA and University of North Carolina great Brad Daugherty and NF quarterback Brad Johnson at Charles D. Owen High School in Black Mountain. He also had head coaching stints at Clyde A. Erwin High School and Madison High School. Burrows was an assistant coach on the collegiate level at Georgia Tech from 1983-84 and Towson State from 1987-88. hile at Georgia Tech, he helped coach the Yellow Jackets to an 18-11 record and an NIT bid with Ramblin reck greats Mark Price and John Salley. At Towson State, he assisted in coaching the team to a second-place finish in the East Coast Conference. In addition to his coaching experience on the high school and collegiate level, he has a wealth of experience running basketball camps. He owned and operated The Basketball Camp in Grayson, Ky., for 16 years, has been the camp director for several summer youth camps, was the camp director for high school team camps for 24 years, and directed basketball camps in France and uxembourg. A native of Baltimore, Md., Burrows is a 1969 graduate of with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary. He received a Master of Arts degree in school administration from estern Carolina in 1992. Burrows and his wife, Kathy, were married on Sept. 1, 2007. The Mackie alker File Mackie alker is in his second year as an assistant men s basketball coach at USC Upstate. He will assist in all phases of the men s basketball program. alker came to USC Upstate after spending the last four seasons as assistant men s basketball coach at imestone College, serving the last two years as the top assistant coach at the school. He helped lead the Saints to the school s first back-to-back winning seasons in I and back-to-back appearances in the CVAC Tournament semifinals. In addition to his coaching duties, he was the recruiting coordinator, scouting director and camp director. Prior to his stint at imestone he worked in an administrative capacity with the men s basketball team at Virginia Commonwealth University, while earning his master s degree in coaching administration. hile at VCU, he also served as an assistant coach at the Collegiate School. In addition, he helped coordinate and manage the first VCU SportsCenter Showcase which gives college graduates a chance to play in front of pro scouts from the NBD and Europe. alker graduated from offord College in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology. He worked as a student assistant with the men s basketball program for three seasons. In addition 11