Steve Payne begins his first season at Northwestern after a highly successful three-year stint as an assistant at Union University. His recruiting talents were one of the reasons that the Bulldogs accomplished so munch under head coach Rick McCormick.
Payne's leadership skills were developed early on, while still a player for Union College. A three-year starter, Payne was also named team captain all three years. He completed his career with over 1,000 points and decided to continue his career in basketball as a coach.
After a short period as an assistant coach at Knox Central High School, Payne joined the Bulldog staff. In only three years, Payne helped guide Union to 56 wins, an average of nearly 19 wins per season, and a berth in the NAIA National Tournament.
Steve Payne has found success in only a short period of time, and should prove to be an important asset to the Demons.
Hometown: Russell Springs, Kentucky
Education: BS in Business Education from Union College
Coaching:
  Union University, Assistant Coach, 1991-94
  Knox Central High School, Assistant Coach, 1990-91
Coaching Duties:
  On-floor coaching of Demon guards
  Film exchange with other universities   Â
  On-campus recruits
  Works with academic office
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Not that long ago, Steve Payne was a high-scoring guard at Union (Ky.) College. Even during those days. Payne knew he wanted to coach college basketball
"It affected the way I played. Knowing what I was going to do, I thought about things and approached the game differently than most of the other players," he says.
Ie learned plenty of lessons during his playing career that made major impacts on his coaching style. This season, he says, reminds him of his senior season at Union.
"We had a first-year coach, Charlie Fiske, and I learned how a team can overachieve by getting maximum effort. We were short in talent but as a group we exceeded expectations - our own as well as others' -- with our effort. That is one of the things that we're trying to do with this year's team, and this program - to exceed expectations."
