USC Upstate Basketball: Head coach Eddie Payne retires

With practices underway for teams, injuries to players are inevitable. However, a recurring injury has caused USC Upstate basketball’s coach Eddie Payne to retire.

The South Carolina Upstate Spartans suffered a blow to their program with the sudden announcement of head coach Eddie Payne’s retirement. In the 15 years that Payne has been at the helm, the school amassed a record of 227-241.

Along with the 15 years with the Spartans, Payne coached 43 years throughout his career, compiling 484 wins. He also was the only current coach to lead at all five levels of college basketball.

After making USC Upstate a power in Division-II basketball, Payne led the program through their transition to Division-I a decade ago, playing their first game in 2007 against Utah.

The highlight for Payne in Division-I basketball was being named the Atlantic Sun’s Coach of the Year in 2012 after a 16-win improvement from the year before. While the school has yet to go to the NCAA tournament, Payne has positioned the program to be respectable, going 17-16 (7-7) last season before losing in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.

After undergoing a second ankle replacement, the pain of being on his feet while coaching the team took a huge toll on him. While he may not be the coach anymore, the school intends to have Payne remain with the program in some capacity to help with the athletic programs.

Payne did his best in several years with the program to bring it to relevance. Although his injury has caused him to retire, he has done an incredible amount to make USC Upstate a Division-I program with a chance to succeed in the future on the biggest stage.

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For now, assistant coach Kyle Perry will take over on an interim basis for this upcoming season. While he may not be the coach anymore, his imprint on the school will be felt long after he’s gone. Now he can deal with his health fully and enjoy his newfound retirement.