Colorado extends women’s basketball coach JR Payne through 2031

By Canadian Press on March 4, 2026.

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Women’s basketball coach JR Payne’s contract has been extended through the 2031 season.

New CU Director of Athletics Fernando Lovo announced the extension Wednesday following a unanimous vote by the university’s board of regents.

In her 10th season, Payne is the second-longest tenured coach in program history behind Ceal Barry. Her 184 career victories are second only to Barry.

The Buffaloes have posted five consecutive 20-win seasons and are poised to earn a sixth consecutive postseason bid after topping three ranked teams this season. Her team has also posted 13 consecutive semesters with a cumulative 3.0 or better grade point average in the classroom.

“Coach Payne has been the model of consistently sustained excellence here at Colorado, and I’m thrilled that she will be leading our program for years to come,” Lovo said in a statement. “Coach Payne’s teams embody her personality of grit, resilience, toughness, and integrity, but this extension is also emblematic of her role as a tremendous leader and mentor for our student-athletes.”

Among the stars coached by Payne are Kennedy Leonard, Frida Formann, Mya Hollingshed, and Jaylyn Sherrod, who became the first Buff to win an WNBA title in 2024 as a member of the New York Liberty.

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The Associated Press