Jeremy Papasso / Staff Photographer)
Waking up back east on Monday morning, Tasha Harris could not wait to send a text to JR Payne.
Harris knew Payne was two hours behind her in Boulder, but couldn't resist sending a congratulatory message after news broke that Payne would become the head women's basketball coach at Colorado.
It had been eight years since Harris, a graduate of Skyline High School in Longmont, last played for Payne, but the two are still in frequent contact.
"I've never had a coach that's really cared about her players as much as she has," said Harris, who starred at Boise State at a time when Payne worked as an assistant coach for the Broncos.