five Greatest-Paid Girls's School Basketball Coaches
five Greatest-Paid Girls's School Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Women’s college basketball has witnessed exponential advancement in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last 10 years. Using the enhanced acceptance and business results with the sport, particularly in NCAA Division I packages, coaching salaries have risen to mirror the value and Management these top rated-tier coaches provide to their teams and universities. As universities go on to take a position 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 look at the 5 greatest-paid Gals’s higher education basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not merely their extraordinary salaries but will also the achievements that justify their elite payment.
1. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Estimated Yearly Salary: $three.one million
Dawn Staley carries on to become the gold conventional in Girls’s school basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has developed South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Given that taking on the program in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to various NCAA Ultimate 4 appearances and two national championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she designed headlines by signing a historic 7-yr, $22.four million contract, generating her the best-paid out Black head mentor in women's higher education basketball history. That deal has considering the fact that been restructured and extended with effectiveness incentives, placing her firmly at the very best of the record.
two. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Yearly Wage: $two.nine million
A living legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to some jaw-dropping 11 nationwide titles. His tenure at UConn, which commenced in 1985, has reworked This system into Just about the most dominant dynasties in faculty basketball record—Guys's or Ladies’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and steady general performance have ensured profitable contract renewals. His existing agreement includes a foundation income, media obligations, clothing deals, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament operates. While UConn has confronted recent difficulties with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management keep his value high.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out College (LSU)
Approximated Yearly Wage: $two.7 million
Right after An effective two-decade operate M88 at Baylor, where by she received 3 national titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball world by joining LSU in 2021. In just her 2nd period Together with the Tigers, she led them into a 2023 national championship, bringing a brand new amount of pleasure and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her higher-profile arrival came with a lucrative eight-12 months, $23.6 million deal, generating her among the highest-paid out Females’s coaches at any time. Recognized for her passionate coaching design, flamboyant fashion, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Women of all ages's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Approximated Once-a-year Wage: $one.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly built a product of regularity at Maryland because taking on in 2002. With several meeting championships, a nationwide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Event appearances, Frese has held the Terrapins in countrywide competition for more than two decades.
Her very long-term impression and advancement of major-tier talent have built her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Division. Her latest deal involves bonuses for academic functionality, wins, and postseason success—illustrating her dual motivation to athletics and student growth.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Estimated Yearly Wage: $one.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not only among the best-compensated coaches but also the winningest coach in NCAA Girls's basketball record. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time win history and it has led Stanford to three national titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous Ultimate Four appearances.
When VanDerveer hasn't been 1 to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are appropriately compensated. Her leadership, advancement of WNBA stars, and motivation to excellence have solidified her position Amongst the all-time greats in coaching history.
A Altering Landscape in Females's Basketball
The escalating salaries of those coaches are reflective in the increasing level of popularity and money viability of girls’s college or university basketball. Courses are attracting extra countrywide Tv set discounts, ticket profits are rising, and corporate sponsors are becoming much more invested in women's sporting activities.
The increase in coaching salaries is not simply a sign of development—it’s a recognition with the exertions, Management, and results these coaches convey to their plans and also the Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Whilst these 5 coaches at the moment lead the way concerning earnings, various Other folks are on the rise:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each individual of those coaches has produced sizeable strides with their respective packages and could split into the top rated five in the approaching many years as Gals's basketball continues to mature.
Ultimate Views
The days of underfunded Gals’s plans and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches don't just command substantial salaries—In addition they mentor generations of athletes, form the lifestyle in their universities, and elevate Women of all ages’s basketball to new heights. Given that the Activity continues to increase in popularity and assist, we can assume these salaries—and the profiles of these leaders—to continue mounting.
Ladies’s higher education basketball isn’t just keeping tempo—it’s environment the speed for the way forward for aggressive sports.