Kate Paye Hometown: Woodside, Calif. Position: Assistant Coach Experience: 1st Season/2nd Ov. Alma Mater: Stanford, 1995

Kate Paye makes a return trip to Montezuma Mesa, having served a short stint as an assistant coach under Burns in 1995-96. Her on-court duties will include working with the point guards and perimeter players, as well as focusing on the overall team offense. She will also coordinate opponent scouting and play a large part in the Aztecs' recruiting efforts.

Paye left SDSU in 1996 to play professional basketball, first with the Seattle Reign of the ABL for three seasons, and later with the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx and Seattle Storm from 2000-02. Off the court, the Woodside, Calif., native graduated with distinction with both her juris doctorate and master's of business administration degrees from Stanford in 2003.

"I have known Kate Paye since her national championship years as a student-athlete at Stanford," SDSU head coach Beth Burns said. "Coach Paye is an excellent teacher and has a great understanding of the game. Her experience in the WNBA, combined with a terrific academic and athletic background makes her one of the young `shining stars' in our profession."

Paye was a four-year member of the Stanford women's basketball team that claimed the national championship in 1992, and advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 1995. A Pac-10 honorable mention selection and two-time team captain, she earned her bachelor of arts degree in political science in 1995. She was most recently an assistant women's basketball coach and recruiting coordinator at Pepperdine University in 2004-05.