10 Highest Paid Coaches In College Basketball

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  Everyone complains about the salaries in sports today, usually beginning with the players.  While most would agree that players in the NBA have the owners over a barrel, requesting upwards of $100 million in multi-year contracts, NBA coaches aren’t far behind with 5 current NBA head men earning well over $5 million per season.

  But what about the college level where universities are presumably raking in millions over television deals, sales of jerseys, and merchandise of the NCAA’s favorite players.  While the athletes are technically still considered amateurs, some of today’s college coaches actually earn a higher compensation package than their NBA counterparts.

  I guess it makes sense, when considering everything involved concerning recruiting, making sure players go to class, and maintaining not only the player/coach relationship but becoming a father figure to incoming 18 year old recruits, not to mention the actual X’s and O’s of the college hardwood.

  Recently Forbes Magazine compiled a database breaking down which coaches on the NCAA level recieve the most compensation, including both annual salary and off campus income, like endorsements and TV/radio deals, to rank the highest paid coaches in college basketball.

  Just missing the cut were Villanova’s Jay Wright($1.81 million), Georgetown’s John Thompson III($1.82 million), and UCLA’s Ben Howland($2 million).

  Check out the 10 Highest Paid Coaches in College Basketball: 

  

   

  
  

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  $2,000,000 Million

  Career Record: 533-262

  NCAA Tournament Appearances: 20

  NCAA Championships: 0

  Coming off of a subpar, by his standards 20-14 season, Rick Barnes has made 17 straight NCAA Tourney appearances dating back to his days as head coach at Providence.  Barnes has helped put University of Texas basketball on the national stage and made them into perrenial Big 12 Conference contenders.  He is one of the game’s master recruiters, sending multiple players to the NBA level in recent years like LaMarcus Aldridge, DJ Augustin, and Kevin Durant.

  
  

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  $2,300,000 Million

  Career Record: 873-369

  NCAA Tournament Appearances: 23

  NCAA Championships: 3

  A 2005 Naismith Hall of Fame inductee, Jim Calhoun is hands down one of the best coaches in America.  Despite struggling through personal illness, player ineligibility, and school compliance issues, Calhoun won his 3rd NCAA National Championship just 2 seasons ago in 2011.  Many wonder just how long Coach Calhoun will remain on the bench with UConn’s impending sanctions taking affect in ’12-’13 and with re-occuring health problems, but no one can argue that he single-handedly helped form UConn into one of the nation’s elite hoops programs through recruiting and being arguably the country’s best in game manager in the NCAA.

  
  

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  $2,305,805 Million

  Career Record: 188-82

  NCAA Tournament Appearances: 5

  NCAA Championships: 0

  Fresh off leading the Xavier Musketeers over the past decade into the national spotlight as everyone’s favorite Cinderella come March Madness, Sean Miller has taken the Arizona Wildcats to a Final Four in only 2 seasons in the desert.  Miller has always been one of the nation’s best recruiters, sending top flight players to the NBA like Derrick Williams, taken as the #2 overall selection last season.  The passionate and intelligent head man is one of the nation’s fastest rising young coaches in America, and looks to bring the Cats back to national prominence behind a Top 5 ranked recruiting class in ’12-’13.

  
  

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  $2,649,000 Million

  Career Record: 323-96

  NCAA Torunament Appearances: 10

  NCAA Championships: 0

  Coach Matta has done a masterful job as a head coach no matter where he has been as one of only 2 coaches nationally to post 20 or more wins in each of his first twelve seasons as a head man.  After brief stops at both Butler and Xavier, Matta has excelled at the highest level in Columbus, leading the Buckeyes to a 221-64 record, including NCAA runner-up status in 2007 and making it to the Final Four in 2012.  Similar to many coaches on this list, Matta is also a master recruiter, securing the services of numerous Top flight HS players and future NBA stars like Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr, and Jared Sullinger.

  
  

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  $3,565,000 Million

  Career Record: 412-69

  NCAA Tournament Appearances: 15

  NCAA Championships: 1

  Under Coach Izzo, Michigan State has been one of the most succesful programs in the country, winning the 2000 National Championship, 7 Big Ten Championships, and making it to 6 Final Fours in his 17 seasons in Lansing.  Izzo is one of the most respected coaches by his peers and always gets the most out of his players, sending many off to the NBA like Slam Dunk Champion Jason Richardson, Zach Randolph, and Shannon Brown.

  
  

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  $3,575,400 Million

  Career Record: 421-178

  NCAA Tournament Appearances: 12

  NCAA Championships: 2

  After turning around the Marshall Thundering Herd program in the mid 90′s in his first head coaching gig, the former Rick Pitino coached point guard has parlayed his former on-court success into head coaching mastery, winning back-to-back NCAA Titles in ’06 and ’07.  Donovan remains one of the game’s best recruiters, reeling in some of the nation’s top recruits that go on to NBA stardom like Al Horford, Joakim Noah, and more recently freshman sensation Brad Beal, a probably Lottery selection in the 2012 NBA Draft.

  
  

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  $3,615,656 Million

  Career Record: 476-158

  NCAA Tournament Appearances: 14

  NCAA Championships: 1

  After brief stops at Oral Roberts, Tulsa, and Illinois, Coach Self has led the Jayhawks to 9 straight NCAA Tourney appearances, including 3 Elite Eight’s, the ’08 National title, and National Runner Up in 2012.  Self is a master motivator, continually getting the most out of his roster, sending upwards of 21 players to the NBA level in his 19 seasons as a head coach.  Despite losing Tyshawn Taylor to graduation and Thomas Robinson to the NBA, Self will look to again be Big 12 contenders behind incoming star freshman Perry Ellis in ’12-’13.

  
  

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  $3,917,000 Million

  Career Record: 505-151

  NCAA Tournament Appearances: 14

  NCAA Championships: 1

  Prior to winning the 2012 National Championship, Coach Cal was criticized for not being able to win the big game.  All that has changed as he proved to not only be the nation’s best recruiter, but also a championship coach, capable of winning with 3 freshmen and 2 sophomores in the starting line-up.  If it wasn’t for a brief, non successful stint coaching the NJ Nets, Coach Cal may have more than 600 wins.  As it stands, he is one of only 2 coaches to take three different schools(UMass, Memphis, Kentucky) to a Final Four.  Calipari is known for being a point guard maestro, sending numerous top flight college floor generals to superstardom in the NBA like Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, and John Wall.  Bolstered by the nation’s top ranked recruiting class for the 4th consecutive season, Coach Cal will look to win back-to-back NCAA Titles for the first time since Florida in ’06-’07.

  
  

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  $4,195,519 Million

  Career Record: 927-289

  NCAA Tournament Appearances: 28

  NCAA Championships: 4

  As the NCAA’s all time winningest Division I head coach, Coach K is continually in the discussion as being the best collegiate coach of all time.  He is synonymous with Duke Basketball and is universally credited with putting the program on the map.  A former standout at Army as a player, Kryzewski learned under one of the best in Bob Knight before eventually passing ”The General” in all time wins in 2011.  He has been a Gold Medal winning USA Basketball coach and sent numerous players on to be NBA stars like Christian Laettner, Grant Hill, and Carlos Boozer.  Coach K is a 3 time Naismith Coach of the Year and led Duke to 11 Final Fours and 12 ACC regular season crowns.

  
  

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  $5,331,378 Million

  Career Record: 616-227

  NCAA Tournament Appearances: 17

  NCAA Championships: 1

  A future Naismith Hall of Famer, Coach Pitino has done it all in his 4 decades of coaching.  He joins only John Calipari as being the only 2 coaches to lead 3 different schools to a Final Four.  In addition, he is the only coach to direct a school to a Final Four in 4 different decades.  Despite mixed results as a head coach at the professional level with the Knicks and Celtics, Pitino remains a collegiate coaching icon, especially when he dons that trademark white suit on gamedays.  He’s known for getting the most out of his players despite not having the services of many McDonald’s All Americans at his disposal.  Next season, the future looks bright as Pitino returns a bevy of underclassmen like Chan Behanan, Wayne Blackshear, and big man Giorgui Dieng.  It wouldn’t surprise anyone to see the Cardinals contend for another National Title as long as Pitino is at the helm.

  
  

April 17, 2012 – Check out which NCAA coaches recieved the highest compensation for this past season….