5 Best-Compensated Women's Higher education Basketball Coaches
5 Best-Compensated Women's Higher education Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Women of all ages’s faculty basketball has noticed exponential progress in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last 10 years. Together with the amplified attractiveness and industrial results of the sport, specifically in NCAA Division I programs, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the value and Management these major-tier coaches convey for their groups and universities. As universities continue on to take a position inside their Girls’s athletics departments, a number of standout coaches are reaping the fiscal rewards that include setting up powerhouse systems.
Listed here’s a look at the 5 greatest-compensated women’s school basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not only their impressive salaries but will also the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Estimated Once-a-year Salary: $three.1 million
Dawn Staley continues being the gold common in Ladies’s college basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has constructed South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Because taking on This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to various NCAA Closing Four appearances and two countrywide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she created headlines by signing a historic seven-yr, $22.four million contract, generating her the best-paid out Black head mentor in Ladies's college basketball history. That offer has due to the fact been restructured and extended with general performance incentives, putting her firmly at the best of this listing.
two. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Estimated Yearly Salary: $two.nine million
A dwelling legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies into a jaw-dropping eleven national titles. His tenure at UConn, which began in 1985, has remodeled This system into Probably the most dominant dynasties in faculty basketball history—Guys's or Gals’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and constant functionality have ensured beneficial deal renewals. His present contract includes a base wage, media obligations, attire specials, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Event operates. Though UConn has confronted recent problems with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership preserve his value high.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State University (LSU)
Estimated Once-a-year Income: $two.seven million
Immediately after A prosperous two-ten years operate at Baylor, wherever she won three national titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball world by signing up for LSU in 2021. In only her 2nd year Together with the Tigers, she led them into a 2023 nationwide championship, bringing a fresh degree of excitement and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her significant-profile arrival came using a rewarding 8-calendar year, $23.6 million contract, making her one of the best-paid out Females’s coaches ever. Noted for her passionate coaching type, flamboyant trend, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Ladies's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Believed Yearly Salary: $one.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly built a design of consistency at Maryland since taking up in 2002. With several meeting championships, a nationwide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Event appearances, Frese has retained the Terrapins in national rivalry for over two decades.
Her extensive-time period effect and improvement of top rated-tier talent have made her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Section. Her latest deal involves bonuses for tutorial overall performance, wins, and postseason achievement—illustrating her dual commitment to athletics and pupil improvement.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Believed Yearly Income: $1.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not only one of the very best-paid out coaches but will also the winningest mentor in NCAA Girls's basketball heritage. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time gain record and has led Stanford to a few nationwide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and various Remaining 4 appearances.
Though VanDerveer has not been one particular to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are properly compensated. Her leadership, advancement of WNBA stars, and dedication to excellence have solidified her position Among the many all-time M88 greats in coaching historical past.
A Modifying Landscape in Ladies's Basketball
The rising salaries of these coaches are reflective from the developing reputation and financial viability of women’s higher education basketball. Plans are attracting more nationwide Tv set deals, ticket sales are escalating, and company sponsors have gotten far more invested in Women of all ages's athletics.
The rise in coaching salaries is not just a sign of progress—it’s a recognition on the exertions, leadership, and accomplishment these coaches deliver to their courses as well as Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
While these 5 coaches at the moment direct the way in which in terms of earnings, quite a few Some others are going up:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each and every of such coaches has designed important strides with their respective plans and will split into the top rated five in the approaching a long time as women's basketball carries on to develop.
Remaining Ideas
The times of underfunded Females’s programs and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not simply command higher salaries—In addition they mentor generations of athletes, shape the lifestyle in their universities, and elevate Females’s basketball to new heights. Given that the sport carries on to grow in level of popularity and assistance, we can easily count on these salaries—as well as profiles of these leaders—to continue mounting.
Ladies’s faculty basketball isn’t just maintaining tempo—it’s placing the rate for the future of competitive athletics.