A new era of Northern Arizona women's basketball tipped off with the hiring of Loree Payne as the 12th head coach in program history on April 7, 2017. The 2024-25 season will be her eighth at NAU.
 
In seven full seasons with the Lumberjacks, Payne has compiled an overall record of 109-108 including a 72-60 mark in Big Sky Conference play. On Feb. 3, 2024, in a victory at Idaho State, Payne became the third NAU coach in program history to record 100 victories with the Lumberjacks. With 109 career victories, she is second all-time on the NAU career wins list. In her home state of Montana, Payne picked up a victory over the Griz to become NAU’s all-time leader in Big Sky Conference wins on Feb. 8, 2024.

Payne has had the Lumberjack women's basketball program trending in the right direction since taking over in 2017. After posting seven victories in her inaugural season, Payne nearly doubled NAU's win total to 13 in her second year. The Lumberjacks' Big Sky win total also doubled from four in 2017-18 to eight in 2018-19 and Payne's second season ended with the program's first conference tournament win in 12 years. Heading into the 2024-25 season, Payne’s Lumberjacks have earned a winning record in conference play in six-straight seasons.
 
The progression has led to the 2023-24 squad setting the program’s single-season wins record with 25 and tying the program’s single-season conference victories with 15, the most since the 1997-98 season.
 
In a snapshot, Payne has coached 11 different players to 17 All-Big Sky honors including three players to four first team nods. She was the 2022-23 Big Sky Coach of the Year after claiming the 2022-23 regular season title.
 
2023-24: NAU finished 25-10 overall and 15-3 in Big Sky play, eclipsing the 20-win threshold for the second-straight season, putting together consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time since 2005-06/2006-07. The squad broke three school records including points scored with 2,636 – averaging 75 points per game to lead the conference.
 
Northern Arizona advanced to its third-straight championship game and earned a WNIT berth for the second-straight season, earning a first-round bye. NAU boasted a unanimous first-team All-Big Sky selection in Sophie Glancey who led the league in scoring and field goal percentage, earning Player of the Week honors three times. Leia Beattie was named to the second team, and both Emily Rodabaugh and Olivia Moran were recognized with honorable mention nods. Rodabaugh ended her career ranking in the top 10 in 12 different categories in the Northern Arizona record book, including NAU’s all-time three-pointers made record. Additionally, NAU was ranked in the mid-major poll for the first time in program history and three different players collected five Big Sky Player of the Week awards.
 
2022-23: The 2022-23 season saw the squad advance to its second-straight Big Sky Conference title game and advance to the program’s first WNIT. Additionally, the Lumberjacks earned a share of the 2022-23 regular season title with Montana State and Sacramento State, their first since 1997-98. Payne was named Big Sky Coach of the Year in a three-way tie with MSU’s Tricia Binford and SAC’s Mark Campbell. It was the first honor of Payne’s career and just the second in program history behind Meg Sanders’ 1998 nod. The Lumberjacks earned the No. 1 seed at the conference tournament by virtue of sweeping both the Bobcats and the Hornets during the regular season. NAU cruised to its second-straight championship game by beating Northern Colorado, 64-48, and Eastern Washington, 74-57. However, NAU fell short and lost to the Hornets by a score of 76-63 in the championship game – the program’s second-straight runner-up tournament finish. The season was not over, as NAU then advanced to the program’s first-ever WNIT appearance, falling to New Mexico in the first round. Northern Arizona finished 21-14 (13-5 Big Sky) for the program’s first 20-win season since 2006-07. The 2022-23 squad set seven single-season school records in points scored (2,615), field goals made (952) and attempted (2,332), three-pointers made (279) and attempted (872), three-point field goals per game (8.0) and total rebounds (1,427). Regan Schenck set the program’s all-time record in total assists and made the All-Big Sky First Team while Montana Oltrogge earned a spot on the third team.
 
2021-22: Reaching the Big Sky Conference Tournament championship game for the first time since 2007, Payne led the Lumberjacks to a pair of victories in the conference tournament after entering as the No. 4 seed. Finishing the regular season 15-13 with a 12-8 mark in the Big Sky, Northern Arizona defeated No. 5 Montana 75-57 in the quarterfinals and No. 8 seed Northern Colorado 72-67 in the semifinals before falling 75-64 in the championship game to Montana State. Both Regan Schenck and Khiarica Rasheed earned spots on the Big Sky All-Tournament Team and All-Big Sky Honorable Mention.

2020-21: Once again, the Lumberjacks reached the Big Sky Tournament and won a game in 2020-21, beating Weber State 82-68 to reach the quarterfinals. NAU also went to a postseason tournament for just the second time in program history as it accepted a bid to the 2021 Women's Basketball Invitational. A first-round victory over FIU brought NAU its first postseason victory and the team earned a third-place finish in the tournament after defeating Stetson to conclude its season. Regan Schenck earned her first career All-Big Sky honor when she landed on the second team while Rasheed ended up with third-team honors and JJ Nakai gave the Lumberjacks a second consecutive Newcomer of the Year award while the Flagstaff native also also wound up with honorable mention honors.

2019-20: Northern Arizona took another step forward in 2019-20 under Payne as the Lumberjacks finished with their first winning season since 2006-07. With 12 conference victories, the Lumberjacks finished in a tie for 4th in the Big Sky. With a victory over Montana, the Lumberjacks reached the semifinals of the Big Sky Tournament in 2020 for the first time since 2007. Khiarica Rasheed (First Team), Jacey Bailey (Second Team) and Caitlin Malvar (honorable mention) all earned All-Big Sky honors for the 2019-20 season while Nina Radford was named the Big Sky's Newcomer of the Year.

2018-19: Payne's Lumberjacks continued their ascent up the Big Sky standings with an eighth-place finish at 13-18 overall and 8-12 in conference play. The 13 victories matched the program's best in the last 12 years, and NAU collected impressive victories over eventual WNIT teams Fresno State, California Baptist and Loyola Marymount in the non-conference schedule. Payne's second season also featured wins over Montana (first since 2012), Montana State (first since 2015) and Northern Colorado (first since 2015). The 'Jacks swept the Montana schools at home for the first time since 2002. Additionally, with NAU's first win over Idaho State in Pocatello in a decade and a win over Weber State in Ogden, the Lumberjacks swept a conference road trip for the first time in nearly 14 years.

Before Payne's second season wrapped up, she coached the Lumberjacks to a first round victory over Sacramento State for NAU's first conference tournament win since 2007. The victory was part of a hot stretch to end the 2018-19 campaign with NAU posting seven wins in its last 11 games. Payne also helped Kaleigh Paplow cap her illustrious career in Flagstaff with an All-Big Sky Third Team selection during the 2018-19 campaign. Paplow finished her career as the only player in program history to rank in the top 10 in points, rebounds, assists, steals and minutes played. 

2017-18: Payne coached the Lumberjacks to a final overall record of 7-23, including a 4-14 mark in the Big Sky, during the 2017-18 season. Despite the win-loss record, Payne claimed a couple of significant victories in her initial season in Flagstaff. Notching her first win as NAU head coach in dramatic fashion, Payne led the 'Jacks to a come-from-behind 62-60 win over Boise State, who would go on to qualify for the NCAA Tournament after winning the Mountain West Conference championship. A few games later, Payne and the Lumberjacks throttled in-state rival Arizona, 84-66, to snap NAU's 20-game losing streak to Pac-10/Pac-12 opponents dating back to 1995. The Lumberjacks' win over the Wildcats was also their first since 1988. Her offensive expertise provided a jolt to NAU as the Lumberjacks eclipsed 80 points in seven games compared to nine total over the previous three seasons before Payne's arrival. Olivia Lucero earned All-Big Sky Third Team honors in Payne's first season, scoring 482 points in the sixth-highest scoring season in program history. Kenna McDavis also shattered the program record for three-pointers in a season with 87.
 
Payne's influence on the program goes far beyond the court though. Her emphasis on developing the complete student-athlete was apparent when the Lumberjacks finished 12th and tied for 20th among Division I teams in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll. NAU's 3.616 cumulative team grade point average for the 2018-19 academic year earned the program its first finish in the WBCA's top 25 academic ranking since the 2009-10 season and sixth overall. NAU was the only Big Sky Conference institution ranked that season and the Lumberjacks' 3.616 GPA was not only the program's best, but the fourth-highest by a conference program, in available data going back to 2001-02 year. During the 2019-20 academic year, the Lumberjacks topped their previous team GPA with a 3.646 and eight players landing on the Big Sky Conference's All-Academic list.

Payne enjoyed seven highly successful seasons at the University of Puget Sound where compiled a 130-58 overall record and a 78-34 record in the Northwest Conference (NWC) prior to taking over the Lumberjack program. A two-time NWC Coach of the Year, she was named a finalist for the WBCA NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year award following her final season. Known for her up-tempo offensive systems, Payne's Puget Sound teams were consistently among the nation's top scoring teams topping out at No. 6 in 2017 at 79.0 points per game.

In Payne's final season at Puget Sound, she guided the Loggers to a school record 26 wins during a 26-3 campaign. Puget Sound captured its first-ever outright regular season NWC championship with a perfect 16-0 record. The 2016-17 season was her second 20-win campaign at Puget Sound as the Loggers never posted a losing record during her seven seasons. Payne also coached the Loggers to two NCAA Division III tournament appearances (2015, 2017) and three straight NWC Tournament championship games (2015-17).

While at Puget Sound, Payne coached 18 players to All-NWC honors including nine to the First Team. In back-to-back seasons, she coached the NWC's Freshman of the Year (Jamie Lange, 2017) and Player of the Year (Emily Sheldon, 2016). Sheldon also earned WBCA All-American Honorable Mention distinction in 2016, and Payne coached three players to D3hoops.com All-West Region honors and Capital One Academic All-District VIII honors.

Prior to arriving at Puget Sound, Payne was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Washington – her alma mater – from 2007-10. She was responsible in recruiting and developing multiple All-Pac-12 and Pac-12 All-Academic selections, many of whom went on to play professionally overseas. Payne also had stints as an assistant at Portland (2004-07) and Northwest Nazarene (2003-04).

She jumped right into coaching following a decorated playing career at the Washington where she was a two-time All-Pac-10 First Team selection, District VIII Kodak All-American and Verizon Academic All-District VIII honoree. Payne helped the Huskies reach two NCAA Tournaments, including an Elite 8 appearance in 2001, and one berth in the WNIT. She finished her career as Washington's seventh-leading scorer with 1,675 career points and all-time leader in three-pointers made with 245. A three-year team captain, her name still appears in the school record book in six categories. In 2000 following her freshman year, she was also a member of the USA Women's R. William Jones Cup gold medal team.

A native of Havre, Mont. – where she was a 2009 inductee into the Montana High School Association Hall of Fame – Payne earned her bachelor's degree in Psychology from Washington in 2003 and received her master's degree in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona.

*Note: Five wins (three non-conference, two conference) in 2021-22 were vacated in result of an NCAA infractions case.

Loree Payne's Head Coaching Record