The basketball gym was renamed Eddie and Ann Payne Arena during an emotional ceremony on Saturday.
The man who led USC Upstate to make a name for itself in NCAA Division I basketball now has his name — and his wife’s name — as a permanent fixture in the G.B. Hodge Center.
During a special halftime ceremony Saturday on what was called “Eddie Payne Appreciation Day” to honor the former head coach, the gymnasium was named Eddie and Ann Payne Arena.
Tributes were shown on the video board during timeouts and at intermission, dozens of former players, not only from USC Upstate but some of Payne’s previous stops, lined up on the court to help celebrate the moment as the arena name was uncovered from behind a curtain.
“It’s more than I imagined,” Payne said. “Just seeing some of the guys and then being surprised by people from Oregon, San Antonio, Houston and one of the players even drove up this morning from Orlando. To think that people made those kinds of sacrifices to be here for this is really heartfelt and touching.”
Payne came to USC Upstate in 2002 after head coaching stops at Truett-McConnell (1978-79), Belmont Abbey (1981-86), East Carolina (1991-95) and Oregon State (1995-2000). He had also been an assistant at Clemson, South Carolina and East Carolina. After his days at Oregon State, he coached at Division III Greensboro College. Payne led the Spartans in their transition from Division II to Division I, beginning in 2007, and took them to the College Insiders postseason tournament four times in his last six seasons.
Mike Hall, who was athletic director at USC Upstate (then USC Spartanburg), said Spartanburg native and former official Mike Wood was the one who recommended Payne.
“I sought several people in the community,” said Hall, who is now commissioner of the Southern States Athletic Conference. “Mike called me and gave me a few names. Then he called back and said, ‘Hey, forget about all those other people I told you about. Eddie Payne is the guy.’ ”
When he retired in October, just before the start of this season, Payne was the only Division I head coach who had been at all five levels of college basketball.
“He was proven at all levels,” Hall said. “I think he knew where we were as an athletics department and was willing to fit in and lead us forward. I knew he would energize our program. He was the right fit. It was an even better fit when we moved to Division I because of his contacts.”
Payne’s players — and he still calls them his — could not pull off what would have been the topper of an emotional day as USC Upstate lost to North Florida. He said that despite the Spartans’ struggles (6-16 overall and 1-4 in the Atlantic Sun), they are in good hands with new head coach Kyle Perry, a longtime assistant who earned the promotion.
“Losing is hard on everybody,” Payne said. “But it’s really hard on the young people. I have an affinity for them and I commiserate with them. But on the other hand, I think the challenges will make them better down the road. Kyle was an integral part of our success. There are some tough circumstances for him, but he deserves the opportunity. I feel great about him as a head coach of this team.”
Ty Greene, a former mid-major player of the year (2014-15) for USC Upstate under Payne, said having such a trusted assistant made it easier for him to retire when the stress on his two reconstructed ankles was just too much.
“I think he knew the program was in great hands,” Greene said. “Coach Payne had somebody whom he had groomed for it and felt was ready. Coach Perry can definitely build on the success they had together.”