JR Payne's system is the same after 11 years
After a decade of coaching, anyone can change. Women’s basketball head coach JR Payne isn’t exempt.
Entering her 11th year of coaching the Colorado Buffaloes, Payne has led four NCAA Tournament berths in black and gold, all coming in the past five years.
With all the success, however, Payne is enjoying each day as it comes.
“I've done a great job of just being very present in the moment,” Payne said at CU’s Winter Sports Media Day.
Across her tenure, collegiate athletics have changed as teams put more emphasis on attracting talent through the transfer portal. This shift came through the NCAA vs. House settlement, which allowed colleges to spend more than $20 million on player compensation.
Despite these changes, 11 years haven’t changed Payne’s mindset.
“With all the changes, you know, over the past many years in college athletics, for us, everything just remains the same,” Payne said at the Big 12’s Women’s Basketball media days.
Despite the changes, Payne still tries to build her teams by recruiting high school talent. Most recently, the Buffs landed four-star prospect Sienna Williams, rated the number one recruit in Colorado.
“We want players to choose to come to Colorado, and we want them to be here for four and five years and see them develop, and struggle, and grow, and strive and all the things,” Payne said. “I think we tend to recruit the type of people that we want to coach.”
One of Payne’s most talented players is Jaylyn Sherrod, who won a WNBA championship with the New York Liberty in 2024. Sherrod stayed in Boulder for five years, helping the Buffs to their best season in 20 years by going to the Sweet 16.
That's the type of talent Payne tries to attract, but she’s clear that something even more important. Sherrod was among the nation’s most studious players, earning 2024 Pac-12 Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She also did the little things that turn coaches' heads.
Sherrod recorded 274 steals in her career and grabbed 436 rebounds, including over 100 in each of her last two years at CU. That effort to do the little things earned her recognition, winning the Byron R. White Leadership and Initiative Award in 2022.
“Character really kind of trumps everything," Payne said. “We are always going to be the hardest-working, toughest and most disciplined team in the country, period.”
Reports say some teams are paying close to $12 million for their roster. In an era that emphasizes spending over tracking the dollar amount, Payne is leaning on identity and culture to guide them to success, an untraditional path.
“No matter what people spend on their roster, we should be able to bring [the hardworking attitude] to the table every night,” Payne said.
Players still come and go. Most recently, Colorado’s top scorer in the 2025-26 season, Desiree Wooten, left the Buffs to play for NC State. That’s why, after 11 years, Payne being present in the moment helps her build a winning team today.
“I'm not going to let um any fear of losing a player or disappointment that a player
chooses to go somewhere else,” Payne said. “I'm not going to allow that to taint what we have today.”
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