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Charles Payne begins his fifth season overall and second as an assistant coach with the Stanford men's basketball program. Payne is primarily responsible for developing the team's wing players.
For his first three seasons on The Farm, Payne served as a member of Stanford's support staff in the role of Director of Student-Athlete Development/External Relations. He was named assistant coach on June 30, 2011.
Payne possesses 13 years of experience overall as a college assistant coach and NBA scout. Payne's experience at the collegiate level also includes six years combined as an assistant coach during stints at California and Florida International.
Payne, 46, spent three seasons as an assistant coach at California from 1993-96, helping guide the Golden Bears to NCAA Tournament appearances in 1994 and 1996. During this time, he coached two Pac-10 Freshman of the Year honorees (Tremaine Fowlkes, Shareef Abdur-Rahim) and three Pac-10 Player of the Year selections (Jason Kidd, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Ed Gray).
Prior to his appointment at California, Payne served as an assistant coach at Florida International from 1990-93, helping guide the program to the 1993 Trans America Athletic Conference Championship and the school's first 20-win campaign. Payne's 1993 recruiting class was ranked No. 1 in the conference, and eventually guided the program to its first and only NCAA Tournament appearance in 1995.
In his role as Stanford's Director of Student-Athlete Development/External Relations, Payne was directly involved with the marketing of the program, including promotion and community relations efforts. He also oversaw the development and promotion of the Buck Cardinal Club, Sixth Man Club and all special events. For the past three seasons, Payne served as the liaison for the program's weekly radio show, Inside Stanford Sports with Johnny Dawkins. He also coordinated the Cardinal Reading Program and the team's visits to Children's Hospital and Ronald McDonald House.
In addition to coordinating the Career Development Program, Payne was involved with all operational aspects of the men's basketball program.
A native of Washington, D.C., Payne has lived in the Bay Area for the last 18 years. Previously, he served as a Financial Representative and Management Team member with The Northwestern Mutual Financial Network in San Francisco and Walnut Creek from 1997-2008.
Payne served as a West Coast scout for the Charlotte Bobcats from 2003-06 before serving as a West Coast scout for Marty Blake & Associates during the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons.
A 1989 graduate of Florida International, Payne earned a B.S. in hospitality management and a master's de-gree in physical education (emphasis in sports management) in 1997. A three-time letterwinner in basketball at Florida International, Payne was team captain in his senior season.
Payne and his wife, Leslie, have a daughter, Christina. The family resides in Emeryville.