5 Highest-Compensated Women's School Basketball Coaches
5 Highest-Compensated Women's School Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Women of all ages’s faculty basketball has noticed exponential progress in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past decade. While using the increased recognition and commercial achievement from the sport, specifically in NCAA Division I programs, coaching salaries have risen to replicate the worth and leadership these best-tier coaches deliver to their groups and universities. As universities continue on to invest of their Women of all ages’s athletics departments, several standout coaches are reaping the fiscal rewards that come with developing powerhouse applications.
Right here’s a think about the 5 optimum-paid out Females’s university basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not just their impressive salaries but also the achievements that justify their elite payment.
1. Dawn Staley – College of South Carolina
Estimated Once-a-year Salary: $three.1 million
Dawn Staley proceeds being the gold common in women’s college or university basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has built South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Given that taking on the program in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to many NCAA Last 4 appearances and two national championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she manufactured headlines by signing a historic seven-yr, $22.four million contract, generating her the highest-paid out Black head mentor in women's higher education basketball history. That deal has considering the fact that been restructured and extended with general performance incentives, placing her firmly at the highest of the record.
2. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Believed Once-a-year Salary: $2.nine million
A dwelling legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to a jaw-dropping 11 nationwide titles. His tenure at UConn, which started in 1985, has reworked This system into Just about the most dominant dynasties in faculty basketball heritage—Gentlemen's or Girls’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and constant functionality have ensured lucrative contract renewals. His present contract includes a base salary, media obligations, apparel bargains, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament runs. When UConn has confronted the latest challenges with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership keep his value higher.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out College (LSU)
Believed Yearly Wage: $2.7 million
Following a successful two-decade run at Baylor, where she received a few nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball planet by joining LSU in 2021. In just her next year Together with the Tigers, she led them into a 2023 nationwide championship, bringing a fresh level of pleasure and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her large-profile arrival came with a valuable eight-yr, $23.6 million deal, generating her one among the highest-compensated Gals’s coaches ever. Noted for her passionate coaching model, 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 designed a model of regularity at Maryland considering that taking over in 2002. With many conference championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Tournament appearances, Frese has saved the Terrapins in nationwide rivalry for over twenty years.
Her prolonged-term impression and advancement of top-tier talent have made her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Division. Her present-day deal incorporates bonuses for academic effectiveness, wins, and postseason achievement—illustrating her dual determination to athletics and pupil growth.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Approximated Once-a-year Salary: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is don't just certainly one of the very best-compensated coaches but additionally the winningest coach in NCAA Gals's basketball history. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time acquire report and it has led Stanford to three national titles (1990, M88 1992, and 2021) and diverse Closing 4 appearances.
While VanDerveer has never been just one to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are correctly compensated. Her Management, improvement of WNBA stars, and dedication to excellence have solidified her area Amongst the all-time greats in coaching record.
A Altering Landscape in Females's Basketball
The rising salaries of those coaches are reflective with the escalating recognition and economic viability of women’s university basketball. Packages are attracting additional nationwide Tv set specials, ticket profits are raising, and company sponsors have gotten far more invested in Girls's athletics.
The rise in coaching salaries is not just an indication of development—it’s a recognition on the labor, leadership, and success these coaches bring for their systems along with the sport in general.
Honorable Mentions
When these five coaches at present lead just how with regard to earnings, many Other individuals are on the rise:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each of those coaches has created significant strides with their respective courses and could crack to the leading 5 in the coming decades as Girls's basketball carries on to develop.
Last Thoughts
The times of underfunded Women of all ages’s packages and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not only command significant salaries—they also mentor generations of athletes, form the society of their universities, and elevate Gals’s basketball to new heights. As the sport carries on to grow in level of popularity and assistance, we could anticipate these salaries—plus the profiles of such leaders—to continue growing.
Gals’s school basketball isn’t just trying to keep rate—it’s environment the rate for the future of competitive sports activities.