Allen Payne joins Jonas Hayes' first Georgia State staff as an assistant coach in spring 2022 after three seasons at Elon.
In 2019, while an assistant coach at Indiana University (Pa.), Payne was recognized on the Under Armour NABC 30 Coaches Under 30 list.
At Elon, he helped lead the Phoenix to the program's first appearance in the 2021 Colonial Athletic Association championship game in 2020-21, following a berth in the tournament semifinals for the first time in 2019-20.
During his time on the Elon staff, Payne's focus on defensive scouting and game-planning helped lead to significant defensive improvement as the Phoenix lowered their points allowed per game from 76.4 in the year before his arrival to 71.7 in 2019-20 and then to 65.0 points per game allowed in 2020-21. That year, Elon led the CAA and ranked in the top 50 nationally in scoring defense.
Payne also played a key role in helping Elon student-athletes earn five All-CAA awards the last two years.
Before going to Elon in 2019, Payne was an integral part of a very successful coaching staff at IUP for two seasons. He helped guide the program to back-to-back conference regular-season championships and the PSAC Tournament title in 2019. That earned the Crimson Hawks a berth in the 2019 NCAA D-II Tournament and a No. 2 overall final ranking with a 30-3 record, the third 30-win season in program history.
Payne's responsibilities at IUP included recruiting, opponent scouting, player development and administrative duties.
Payne began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Xavier for two seasons (2015-17). In both seasons, he assisted the staff in leading Xavier to back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the Elite Eight as an 11th seed in 2017.
As a collegiate player, Payne was a three-year starter at Auburn who was selected as a team captain in his senior season. He went on to play one year of professional basketball in the United Kingdom for the Sheffield Sharks.
Payne is a 2014 Auburn graduate with a bachelor’s degree in public administration.
The Cincinnati, Ohio, native was an all-state prep player Payne at Winton Woods High School.
Payne is married to the former Tyrese Tanner, who was an All-SEC women’s basketball standout at Auburn. The couple has one daughter, Ava, and one son, AJ.
