College basketball coaches play a huge role in terms of the success of a university’s basketball program. Given that the NCAA is one of the most competitive basketball leagues in the nation, bigger institutions are willing to pay more money to more seasoned coaches with a winning history.
For this piece, let’s take a closer look at 10 of the richest coaches in college basketball.
10. Jay Wright
Net Worth: $11 million
Jay Wright is one of the most successful coaches in the NCAA basketball scene. He initially coached Hofstra University and was a two-time AEC Coach of the Year.
After seven years, Wright moved on to coach at Villanova University where his coaching success reached new heights. Under his watch, Villanova won two NCAA Division I titles, four NCAA Regional – Final Four appearances, and five Big East Tournament championships. Furthermore, with Villanova, Wright won the Naismith College Coach of the Year twice, NABC Coach of the Year, John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award, six-time Big East Coach of the Year, and AP Coach of the Decade.
Wright has retired from coaching basketball. Since then, he now serves as an analyst for CBS.
9. Bob Huggins
Net Worth: $12 million
West Virginia’s Bob Huggins arrested on suspicion of drunken driving https://t.co/6jneF0LiWI pic.twitter.com/8KVEnc3vis
— azfamily 3TV CBS 5 (@azfamily) June 17, 2023
Bob Huggins played the point guard position for Ohio and West Virginia before transitioning into a coach. After serving as an assistant for West Virginia and Ohio State, Huggins became the head coach of Walsh University. Afterwards, he coached the Akron, Cincinnati, Kansas State and West Virginia.
Huggins was most successful at Cincinnati and West Virginia. With the Bearcats, Huggins took them to a Final Four appearance and ruled the Conference USA tournament on several occasions. Huggins was also named C-USA Coach of the Year three consecutive times.
On the other hand with West Virginia, Huggins led the Mountaineers into a Final Four appearance in 2010. They also ruled the Big East Tournament.
However, he resigned as head coach at West Virginia after being arrested for a DUI in Pittsburgh in June 2023. Huggins then entered a 12-month diversion program in August 2023 and has expressed interest in returning to West Virginia when that is concluded.
8. Mark Few
Net Worth: $12 million
Mark Few joined the coaching staff of Gonzaga University in 1989. Since that time, Few has climbed up the ranks until he became the head coach of the Bulldogs. Few has established himself as the Bulldogs’ resident coach. He led the program to two Final Four appearances and 18 WCC tournament championships.
Furthermore, Few has won several awards, including 14-time WCC Coach of the Year, two-time Naismith Coach of the Year, two-time NABC Coach of the Year, Henry Iba Award, and AP Coach of the Year.
In 2021, Few was also called up to be part of the coaching staff of the USA Basketball’s men’s national team.
7. Tom Izzo
Net Worth: $13 million
Michigan State’s Tom Izzo is one of the most decorated active coaches in the NCAA today. Unlike other coaches, Izzo spent his entire NCAA coaching career with Michigan State. Under Izzo, MSU has ruled the NCAA Tournament, Big Ten Tournament, and a total of eight Final Four appearances.
As a coach, Izzo has also racked up the awards, including two NABC Coach of the Year awards, Clair Bee Coach of the Year, AP College Coach of the Year, Henry Iba Award, John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award, and three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year. In 2022, Izzo signed a five-year contract extension that will pay him $31 million.
6. Rick Barnes
Net Worth: $16 million
Rick Barnes started his basketball career playing for the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears. Afterward, Barnes transitioned into coaching by joining the coaching staff of several institutions. But in 1987, Barnes started serving as the head coach of different college basketball programs such as George Mason University, Providence, Clemson, University of Texas, and currently University of Tennessee.
Barnes’ accomplishments include helping Providence rule the Big East Tournament in 1994. In 2003, Barnes coached the Texas Longhorns into their last Final Four appearance. And as coach of the Tennessee Volunteers, Barnes was the recipient of the Naismith Coach of the Year Award in 2019. He also led the Volunteers to its first SEC title in 43 years.
In 2019, Barnes inked a five-year, $26 million contract to stay in Tennessee. Four years later, Barnes signed a contract extension that will keep him with the Volunteers until the 2027-2028 season.
5. Bill Self
Net Worth: $20 million
Bill Self is arguably the highest-paid coach in the NCAA today and for good reason. He led the Kansas Jayhawks to one Big Ten Tournament Title, nine Big 12 Tournament championships, four Final Four appearances and two NCAA Tournament titles.
The university wanted to secure its future, as Kansas basketball signed Self to a lifetime contract.
4. Mick Cronin
Net Worth: $20 million
Mick Cronin started his head coaching career in Murray State and helped them dominate the Ohio Valley Conference. This led to his hiring at University of Cincinnati, where he spent 13 seasons before moving on to UCLA.
With UCLA, Cronin has performed well as the head coach. He led the team to a Final Four appearance in 2021. He was also named Pac-12 Coach of the Year in 2020 and 2023.
3. John Calipari
Net Worth: $45 million
After successfully coaching the University of Massachusetts, John Calipari went on to coach the New Jersey Nets and Memphis Grizzlies before coming back to the NCAA to coach Kentucky.
At the helm of Kentucky, Calipari led the team to six SEC tournament victories, four Final Four appearances, and one NCAA Division I Tournament title. Furthermore, as of this writing, Calipari has already coached 32 players in Kentucky that would go on to become first round NBA Draft picks, with seven of them emerging as All-Stars.
Given his accomplishments, in 2019, Calipari signed a 10-year contract extension with Kentucky worth $86 million.
2. Rick Pitino
Net Worth: $45 million
Back in the Big East!@StJohnsBBall announces Rick Pitino will be their next head coach. pic.twitter.com/ynXpp9lIoP
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 20, 2023
When it comes to coaching experience at different levels from college, to NBA, and to international basketball, Rick Pitino has it all. In the NCAA, Pitino was successful in leading three different college basketball teams into the Final Four. Furthermore, he also won two NCAA Tournament championships, one each with Kentucky and Louisville.
However, his career was marred by a “pay for play” scandal involving recruits at Louisville. The University originally fired Pitino, but he sued Louisville and the sides eventually settled and Pitino was allowed to resign.
Furthermore, Pitino is a three-time SEC Coach of the Year, John Wooden National Coach of the Year, C-USA Coach of the Year, and Adolph Rupp Cup award winner. In 2023, St. John's hired Rick Pitino to be its men's basketball head coach and gave him a six-year contract.
1. Mike Krzyzewski
Net Worth: $45 million
Coach K is considered to be one of the greatest college basketball coaches in NCAA history. After coaching the Army Black Knights, Coach K took on the coaching reins of Duke University. His stint there saw him tally a 1,202-368 coaching record before retiring in 2022.
Furthermore, under Coach K’s watch, Duke would go on to make 13 Final Four appearances, 15 ACC tournament titles, and five NCAA Tournament championships. Coach K is also a three-time Naismith College Coach of the Year, five-time ACC Coach of the Year, NABC Coach of the Year, Clair Bee Coach of the Year, and UPI Coach of the Year.
On top of his accomplishments in the NCAA, Coach K is also largely responsible for Team USA’s success on the international stage. As head coach, Coach K has won three gold medals in the Olympics, two in the World Championships, and one in the FIBA Americas Championship.
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