Ladies’s school basketball has witnessed exponential advancement in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last 10 years. Using the improved acceptance and business accomplishment with the sport, especially in NCAA Division I plans, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the value and Management these top rated-tier coaches provide to their teams and universities. As universities continue to speculate inside their Girls’s athletics departments, several standout coaches are reaping the economic rewards that include constructing powerhouse applications.
Here’s a think about the five highest-compensated Girls’s university basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not just their impressive salaries and also the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Believed Yearly Salary: $three.1 million
Dawn Staley proceeds for being the gold regular in Girls’s college basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has constructed South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Considering that taking over the program in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to multiple NCAA Ultimate 4 appearances and two nationwide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she produced headlines by signing a historic 7-year, $22.four million deal, generating her the best-paid Black head mentor in women's faculty basketball background. That deal has since been restructured and extended with performance incentives, putting her firmly at the highest of the list.
2. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Once-a-year Salary: $2.9 million
A residing legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to your jaw-dropping eleven national titles. His tenure at UConn, which began in 1985, has remodeled This system into one of the most dominant dynasties in university basketball heritage—Adult males's or Ladies’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and regular general performance have ensured profitable agreement renewals. His recent agreement features a foundation wage, media obligations, attire specials, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Event runs. Even though UConn has confronted recent difficulties 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.seven million
After a successful two-ten years operate at Baylor, wherever she gained three national titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball environment by signing up for LSU in 2021. In only her second season Using the Tigers, she led them to a 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a completely new stage of excitement and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her superior-profile arrival arrived by using a rewarding 8-calendar year, $23.6 million contract, earning her among the highest-compensated Girls’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 Income: $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly created a model of regularity at Maryland given that taking on in 2002. With a number of conference 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-phrase effects and growth of top-tier talent have made her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic department. Her present-day deal contains bonuses for tutorial effectiveness, wins, and postseason accomplishment—illustrating her twin dedication to athletics and student enhancement.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Approximated Once-a-year Salary: $one.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not simply certainly one of the very best-compensated coaches but also 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, 1992, and 2021) and numerous Ultimate 4 appearances.
Though 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 One of the all-time greats in coaching historical M88 past.
A Transforming Landscape in Women of all ages's Basketball
The increasing salaries of these coaches are reflective from the developing acceptance and fiscal viability of women’s higher education basketball. Systems are attracting extra countrywide Television set promotions, ticket gross sales are expanding, and company sponsors have gotten far more invested in Girls's athletics.
The rise in coaching salaries is not just an indication of progress—it’s a recognition in the hard work, Management, and achievements these coaches convey for their packages as well as the sport in general.
Honorable Mentions
Although these five coaches now direct the best way with regards to earnings, a number of others are rising:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Every single of these coaches has built important strides with their respective applications and will break into your prime 5 in the coming years as Gals's basketball continues to improve.
Last Views
The days of underfunded Gals’s plans and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches don't just command large 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 improve in level of popularity and guidance, we will expect these salaries—along with the profiles of such leaders—to carry on growing.
Gals’s school basketball isn’t just trying to keep rate—it’s setting the tempo for the future of aggressive sporting activities.