5 Best-Compensated Women of all ages's College Basketball Coaches
5 Best-Compensated Women of all ages's College Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Gals’s university basketball has found exponential growth in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last ten years. With all the greater attractiveness and business achievements in the sport, particularly in NCAA Division I packages, coaching salaries have risen to mirror the value and Management these top rated-tier coaches carry to their teams and universities. As universities continue to speculate inside their Girls’s athletics departments, a number of standout coaches are reaping the fiscal rewards that include making powerhouse packages.
Right here’s a think about the 5 greatest-compensated Gals’s higher education basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not just their extraordinary salaries but also the achievements that justify their elite payment.
1. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Believed Once-a-year Income: $3.one million
Dawn Staley continues to be the gold typical in Females’s school basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has constructed South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Given that taking on the program in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to many NCAA Remaining 4 appearances and two national championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she built headlines by signing a historic 7-12 months, $22.four million contract, earning her the highest-paid out Black head mentor in Females's college or university basketball historical past. That offer has because been restructured and extended with performance incentives, putting her firmly at the best of the list.
2. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Believed Once-a-year Salary: $2.9 million
A residing legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to the jaw-dropping eleven national titles. His tenure at UConn, which began in 1985, has remodeled This system into One of the more dominant dynasties in university basketball heritage—men's or Women of all ages’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and constant efficiency have ensured rewarding contract renewals. His existing agreement includes a base salary, media obligations, apparel discounts, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Match runs. Even though UConn has faced modern issues with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership hold his worth substantial.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State University (LSU)
Believed Once-a-year Income: $2.7 million
Right after a successful two-decade operate at Baylor, wherever she gained 3 national titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball environment by signing up for LSU in 2021. In just her second time with the Tigers, she led them to the 2023 nationwide championship, bringing a whole new degree of pleasure and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her higher-profile arrival arrived using a rewarding eight-12 months, $23.6 million deal, building her considered one of the very best-paid Women of all ages’s coaches ever. Known for her passionate coaching design and style, flamboyant trend, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Ladies's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Believed Once-a-year Wage: $1.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly constructed a product of consistency at Maryland since taking up in 2002. With numerous conference championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has kept the Terrapins in countrywide contention for more than two decades.
Her prolonged-term impression and advancement of major-tier talent have built her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Division. Her present-day deal involves bonuses for academic functionality, wins, and postseason results—illustrating her twin dedication to athletics and pupil enhancement.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Approximated Once-a-year Income: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not simply one of the highest-paid out coaches and also the winningest mentor in NCAA Ladies's basketball historical past. She M88 surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time gain record and has led Stanford to three national titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and diverse Closing 4 appearances.
While VanDerveer has never been a single to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are properly compensated. Her Management, progress of WNBA stars, and determination to excellence have solidified her place among the all-time greats in coaching background.
A Modifying Landscape in Girls's Basketball
The raising salaries of such coaches are reflective of your growing recognition and monetary viability of women’s university basketball. Plans are attracting a lot more national TV offers, ticket revenue are growing, and company sponsors are getting to be additional invested in Gals's athletics.
The rise in coaching salaries is not just an indication of progress—it’s a recognition from the hard work, Management, and results these coaches provide for their applications and the Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Though these five coaches at present lead how concerning earnings, quite a few others are on the rise:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each and every of such coaches has built sizeable strides with their respective courses and could crack to the top five in the approaching several years as Ladies's basketball proceeds to develop.
Closing Ideas
The times of underfunded Ladies’s systems and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not just command superior salaries—they also mentor generations of athletes, form the culture of their universities, and elevate Gals’s basketball to new heights. Because the Activity proceeds to develop in attractiveness and help, we can easily anticipate these salaries—plus the profiles of such leaders—to continue growing.
Women of all ages’s school basketball isn’t just preserving rate—it’s setting the tempo for the future of aggressive sporting activities.