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Paye returns to Menlo as girls basketball coach
By Glenn Reeves, STAFF WRITER
May 17, 2008
John Paye is going back home. Paye, who few would argue is not the greatest athlete in Menlo School history, is returning to his alma mater as girls basketball coach.
"I'm real excited to go back to my alma mater," Paye said. "I was on campus there today. It brought back a lot of memories."
Paye, who was the head coach the last two years at Notre Dame High in Belmont, replaces Brook McKinney. Menlo went 7-16 last season, 1-9 in the Peninsula Athletic League South Division.
Junior varsity coach Josh Davenport will move up to the varsity head coaching position to replace Paye at Notre Dame.
Paye played on a state championship basketball team at Menlo in 1983, then went on to play both football and basketball at Stanford. He played briefly as a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers before turning his attention to coaching.
He coached the Menlo girls team for seven years and won three state championships from 1989-1991 with his sister, Kate Paye, as his star player. Kate Paye also went on to Stanford, and she played in the WNBA before returning to Stanford as an assistant coach.
"When I took the Notre Dame job, there was kind of a huge rebuilding job that needed to be done," Paye said.
Notre Dame showed significant improvement in Paye's second season, going 7-7 in the ultra-tough West Catholic Athletic League.
"I put that program together," Paye said. "Menlo, I see as a challenge to bring that program back to where it's really strong."
But he has no doubt it can be done.
Neither does athletic director Craig Schoof.
"It is great to have John back home," Schoof said. "I look forward to working with him and getting our girls basketball to again be a force on the Peninsula. He certainly knows the school and what it takes to be a successful coach at Menlo."
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