UNT men’s basketball head coach Daniyal Robinson hired on Monday Steve Payne as an assistant coach to his first Mean Green staff.
Payne joins Robinson to Denton with over 30 years of college coaching experience, including eight as Tennessee Tech’s head coach. Most recently he served on Robinson’s staff at Cleveland State from 2022-25. Robinson was hired as North Texas’ head coach on April 4.
In those three seasons at Cleveland State, Payne helped guide the Vikings to three consecutive 20-win seasons including 23 last year, which was the program’s most single season wins in 14 years. CSU finished second in the Horizon League standings and were the runner ups in the 2025 College Basketball Invitational.
From 2011-19 Payne was Tennessee Tech’s head coach and won 118 games with the Golden Eagles and led them to three national postseason tournament berths. Tennessee Tech consistently had one of the Ohio Valley Conference’s most efficient defenses with Payne at the helm.
Under his leadership, the Golden Eagles had three 19-win seasons and seven OVC All-Conference honorees. In 2012 guard Kevin Murphy became the first Tennessee Tech player drafted to the NBA in almost two decades and became the first Tech alum to play in an NBA game in 45 years. Murphy was selected by the Utah Jazz and has had a very successful international career where he has played in the top division in numerous countries including France and China.The Kentucky native also served as Tennessee Tech’s associate head coach for nine seasons under Mike Sutton and helped lead them to the 2005 OVC regular season championship. In 2009 he was named one of the nation’s top 25 mid major assistant coaches by CollegeInsider.com.
Between his time at Tennessee Tech and Cleveland State Payne was on staff at UMKC under Billy Donlon from 2019-22 where he helped lead the Roos to 43 wins. In his last season in Kansas City, UMKC won 19 games, its second most single season wins in program history and its most in over 30 years. They won a program record 12 conference games that year and beat Missouri on the road 80-66 during their non-conference slate. The Roos were led by Evan Gilyard II who has gone on to play in the G League.
Payne has experience coaching in Texas. From 2000-02 he was the head coach at Frank Phillips Junior College in Borger.
He has also coached at Georgetown College (Ky.), Northwestern State, Union University and Knox Central High School (Ky.). During his first season at Northwestern State in 1995, the Demons had at the time their best Southland Conference standings finish as they won eight league games. NSU and North Texas were conference mates back then and met four times over his two seasons with the program.
He is a graduate of Russell County High School in Russell Springs, Ky., and earned his bachelor’s degree from Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky in 1990.
Payne and his wife, Kelli, have three children.
Steve Payne Coaching Career
North Texas (2025-present)
Cleveland St. (2022-25)
UMKC (2019-22)
Tennessee Tech (2011-19)*
Tennessee Tech (2002-11)
Frank Phillips College (2000-02)*
Georgetown College (KY.) (1996-00)
Northwestern State (1994-96)
Union University (1991-94)
Knox Central HS (1990-91)*
*Head Coach
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