Gary Payton to coach in his hometown at Lincoln University
OAKLAND, Calif. (BVM) – Hall of Fame point guard Gary Payton is returning to his hometown of Oakland, Calif., because it appears everyone else is leaving it.
“Everybody knows we’re losing all kinds of sports here,” Payton told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. “We lost the [Las Vegas] Raiders, the [Oakland] A’s want to leave because we’re not giving them an area. The [Golden State] Warriors have left. So, we need something to spunk these people, these fans, back up.”
Payton’s return to Oakland comes in the form of a multiyear deal to become the new head basketball coach at Lincoln University. Located in downtown Oakland and known for its business school, Lincoln is starting a sports program next school year.
“It’s a startup program and a private independent school where I can establish what I want to establish,” Payton told The Undefeated. “I don’t have to go behind anybody to try to make a program become something or keep it going. I can start it off with my own program with what I want to happen.
“And the reason I took it is because it’s in Oakland, California.”
Known by many NBA fans as “The Glove,” Payton is regarded as one of the best perimeter defenders in NBA history. The nine-time all-NBA selection, 1995 Defensive Player of the Year and NBA champion (Miami Heat, 2006) is also the Seattle Supersonics’ all-time leader in points, assists and steals.
Payton’s coaching experience is limited to the Big3 3-on-3 league where he plans to continue fulfilling his obligation during the 2021 season. Despite the lack of coaching pedigree, Payton’s NBA-legend status brings instantaneous attention to a small school in its first-ever basketball season.
Expect Payton’s new squad to look something like he did back in the day.
“I’m going to get basketball players that’re going to work hard, going to grind, coming from that gritty, gritty neighborhood they grew up in,” Payton told The Undefeated. “Some of them have gotten lost. Some of them got overlooked. Now you can come to a school where you can play under a guy like myself, as in a point guard that is going to play defense. Our program is going to play ‘D.’ We’re going to get up and down the floor, but we’re going to be disciplined.
“We’re going to play the right way. We’re not going to play ball where we’re going to outshoot nobody with 3s or nothing like that. We’re going to take advantage of the things I think they take advantage of.”
Lincoln athletic director Desmond Gumbs has confirmed that two Division I schools, including one Pac-12 team, are on the men’s basketball schedule for this coming season, an important piece for relevancy.
Recruiting will certainly be a challenge for a startup, relatively unknown program, but Payton’s presence should entice enough talent to Oakland. Payton has already begun casting his net on the national recruiting scene, but his focus will be in Oakland and the San Francisco Bay Area.
“The West Coast is going to be an advantage for me,” Payton, who also played for the Los Angeles Lakers, told The Undefeated. “My recruiting in the West Coast is going to be great. I’m going to give everybody a chance. If I can go to the South and the East and they want to come here, I’m going to give them a chance to come here. But I’m going to recruit in my area. I have to recruit in Oakland, California. I have to recruit in LA. I have to recruit in Seattle. I have to recruit in Oregon.
“I have to recruit everywhere, but the West Coast is probably going to be my main hub.”
