JR Payne, who led Santa Clara University to its first winning record since 2008, has been named the eighth head women鈥檚 basketball coach in University of Colorado history, athletic director Rick George announced Monday.
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She has signed a five-year contract and the hire will become official pending approval of CU鈥檚 Board of Regents, as is the case with all high-profile campus positions.
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鈥淭here was a lot of interest in the position, which confirmed this is viewed as one of the top coaching jobs in women鈥檚 basketball,鈥� George said. 鈥淎fter interviewing JR and hearing from several coaches that have worked with her, she rose to the top and we鈥檙e excited to name her as our head coach.鈥�
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Payne, 38, replaces CU鈥檚 coach for the past six seasons, Linda Lappe, who stepped down from the post on March 7.
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"I am thrilled and honored to be the next women's basketball coach at the University of Colorado,鈥� Payne said. 鈥淭here is such a rich tradition within the women's basketball program that I cannot wait to immerse myself in. CU is unique in the landscape of college basketball in that it combines a world class education with world class athletics. I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to be here in Boulder and cannot wait to get started."
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