Spartanburg, S.C. – USC Upstate men's basketball head coach Eddie Payne is schedule to speak to the Spartanburg Tip-Off Club Friday, January 24th from the Golden Corral on West Main Street.

The program begins at noon, but attendees are encouraged to arrive at 11:30 a.m. in order to have time to eat before the meeting commences. The cost of admission is $9.00 for members and $12.00 for nonmembers.

A veteran of the coaching sideline, Payne is in his 29th year of coaching and his 12th year at USC Upstate. Payne began his tenure with the Spartans in 2002 and successfully facilitated the program's move into Division I in 2007.

One could argue that Payne's best coaching performance came when he orchestrated one of the most successful seasons in school history in leading Upstate to a 21-13 record during the 2011-12 season. The Spartans earned a berth in the College Insider Tournament and knocked off Kent State in the opening round inside the Hodge Center. It was the school's first postseason bid since becoming a Division I program.

Payne led the Spartans to a 13-5 record in Atlantic Sun Conference play that year and finished tied for second in the league standings en route to earning Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year honors. Along the way, Payne tallied his 400th career coaching victory on Feb. 25 with a 90-72 win over Stetson.

Last season, Upstate finished with the second-most wins in a season during the Division I era, and Payne led the Spartans to the program's first-ever victory in the A-Sun Tournament following a lopsided win over Jacksonville.

Payne and the Spartans have already enjoyed a great deal of success thus far this season, as Upstate has defeated both Virginia Tech and South Carolina to claim the school's first-ever victories over Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference schools. In addition, Upstate became the first A-Sun school since 2005 to have a win over the ACC and SEC in the same season.

Along with all of his individual accolades, Payne has constructed a stellar roster that is one of the most decorated in school history. In fact, the Spartans feature three starters that have all scored 1,000 or more points in their career, making USC Upstate one of only four schools in the NCAA with three starters with at least 1,000 career points.

Upstate begins a season-long four-game homestand Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. when Payne and the Spartans welcome Jacksonville to the Hodge Center. Upstate closes its week of competition Saturday at 2 p.m. against North Florida. The Spartans are 5-1 at home this season and have not lost inside the Hodge Center since Dec. 15.

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