COLUMBIA — South Carolina coach Dawn Staley is the highest-paid coach in the history of women’s college basketball as of Friday with a new contract that takes effect immediately and will run through 2029-30.

Staley, who won her third national championship at South Carolina in 2024, will receive an annual salary of $4 million with a $250,000 increase every season and a $500,000 signing bonus that makes the total value approximately $25.25 million.

“I’ve never been driven by money at all, never, ever,” Staley said on Friday afternoon. “Money is the byproduct of your success and your ability to work hard and be successful in your space. I do think it represents what can be in other professions that women for whatever reason are not paid for doing the same type of work, for the same type of job and I think this is an example of what it can look like, feel like, sound like and I hope everybody is happy about it for what it represents.”

Before the new contract, LSU coach Kim Mulkey was the highest-paid coach at $3,264,000.

Staley’s salary was the third-highest among women’s college basketball coaches, according to the USA TODAY Sports database from March 2024 but both she and UConn coach Geno Auriemma were making $3.1 million in terms of total pay.

“I think what it represents is, we play to a certain standard and I do think when we are able to get a raise like this, it’s to your standard,” Staley said. “I don’t think anyone expects us to play lower than our standard and we haven’t. Rewarded is a hard work for me because it’s earned. When you’ve done what you’re suppose to do and well above what you’re suppose to do you should be paid accordingly.”

Although she said she doesn’t usually share this kind of information with her players unless they ask, she did talk about what a contract like this may mean to them down the line.

“There’s going to be a time in their lives where they’re going to feel like they’re doing a job and they are getting paid less,” Staley said. “How to handle those instances. It’s a fight no matter what, it’s a fight … it’s a fight to explain to people what your worth is. You have to do some comparisons with coaches here, and coaches in other spaces and it’s the way it is, it’s negotiations. Our negotiations as women are a little bit different because we are valued a little bit different but I think when it’s all said and done, it’s the same things you apply to this game … negotiations are a game … you go back and forth.”

THURSDAY NIGHT: How South Carolina women’s basketball freshman Joyce Edwards was difference vs Alabama

Staley said former athletic director Ray Tanner, who had been working as AD until a little over a month ago, played a huge role making her new contract happen and that current athletic director Jeremiah Donati came in towards the end.

“It took a while for it to happen, a long time and fortunately we got to this great place that makes me look good but it makes our University and athletic department look great in the grand scheme of things,” Staley said. “Ray Tanner did a great job, ran a hard bargain.”

On the men’s side, Kansas coach Bill Self was the highest-paid coach as of March 2024 with a total pay of $9,625,624. In March, South Carolina men’s basketball coach Lamont Paris was given a six-year deal that pays him $26.25 million over the life of the contract, or an average of $4.375 million per year.

“The board of trustees did something that is extraordinary because it really just doesn’t happen but I’m glad it’s South Carolina, our University and our board, that no matter what, we look good,” Staley said. “I’m glad I am the person to be able to handle it because I truly don’t care about the money, I do care about the principle of it. Don’t care about the money but it’s the right thing to do though.”

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin

This past week, women’s college basketball experienced not just one but two events that will permanently change the landscape of the sport. On Wednesday, the NCAA approved units for the women’s NCAA Tournament, and on Thursday, the Department of Education ruled that revenue sharing with college athletes must comply with Title IX.

What are these two decisions, and how do they impact women’s basketball?

Units

Let’s start with the easy one.

The plan to implement units was announced last August, but it was not approved until Jan. 15.

Coaches have been asking for units for years. Previously, a men’s team earned money for simply appearing in the tournament, while women’s programs earned nothing, even if they won the championship.

In the wake of the scathing Kaplan report about the NCAA’s inequitable treatment of women’s basketball, the NCAA took several steps toward equality. 

It allowed the women’s tournament to use “March Madness” branding and expanded the tournament field to 68 teams, matching the men’s tournament. But the changes didn’t include what coaches wanted most – units.

As interest in the tournament surged, climaxing when last season’s South Carolina-Iowa championship game drew higher ratings than the men’s game, irritated coaches again wanted to know when their programs would get a piece of the pie. The NCAA and ESPN reached a new rights agreement for the tournament worth about $65 million annually. 

WIN TICKETS: Introduce No. 13 Oklahoma to the SEC and Gamecock women’s basketball

It was a huge jump in revenue, although many still thought it was undervalued. Most importantly, it permanently ended the argument that the women’s tournaments weren’t making money.

Units are a little-known part of the NCAA men’s tournament. Teams earn a “unit” for each game that they play in the tournament (except the national championship game). Each unit is worth a certain dollar figure (it goes up each year, and was $2 million last year). That dollar figure is paid out over six years, and each conference distributes shares of the fund to its member schools.

It is important revenue for power conference programs and absolutely essential for small schools, who could see their operating budget nearly double with one tournament upset.

Units for women’s basketball won’t be worth as much as men’s basketball. The fund that pays out units will start at $15 million for 2025-26 and rise by $5 million for the next two years until it pays $25 million for 2027-28. After that, it will rise at about 2.9% per year.

A championship run like South Carolina’s would earn about $1.3 million next year.

Revenue Sharing

Revenue sharing is the veiled way the NCAA is referring to paying players. 

To recap, the House settlement paved the way for colleges to start paying players directly. The settlement included an annual “salary cap” of $20.5 million. The settlement did not include how schools should distribute that money.

Would football players get most or all of it? Would men’s basketball get the rest? Women’s sports programs were worried they might get shut out. 

On Thursday, the Department of Education issued a memo stating that revenue sharing is a form of “athletic financial assistance” and, therefore, subject to Title IX laws. 

Those laws are familiar to most as the requirement that athletic departments offer the same athletic scholarships to men and women in proportion to the gender makeup of the overall student body.

TLDR: On Thursday, the Department of Education said that schools have to offer equal payments to male and female athletes.

WIN TICKETS: Kim Mulkey and undefeated LSU are coming to Columbia on Jan. 23

That’s big for women’s sports like basketball, softball, and volleyball, which have large fan bases. It guarantees they will continue to be funded and at a level that will probably create even more interest.

Now for the huge asterisk: We still don’t actually know what these payments will look like, and there are already lawsuits challenging the implementation. There will certainly be more. 

But this is encouraging for women’s basketball coaches and players.

Discuss this article and issue on The Insiders Forum!

South Carolina traveled on the road to Alabama and defeated the Crimson Tide 76-58. Alabama head coach Kristy Curry spoke with members of the media following her team’s loss.

Here’s everything she had to say.

Opening Statement

“Just, you know, got beat by a very good South Carolina team tonight. I think they do a really good job of making you pay for mistakes. And it might not always look like a mistake. I mean, it looks like that. We did a really good job of taking care of the basketball — eight turnovers, nine assists — but I thought we had some errors as far as our execution. And every time that we did, that’s what really good teams do. I thought they got to the free throw line late and converted — credit them. So, I thought our kids competed and battled. The perspective on this is that they all count the same, and our response is always what we talk about: good, bad, happy, sad, and I know that our response will be with toughness and grit on the road at Arkansas.”

What do you want your players to take from how in some moments, you guys essentially stopped them from taking over the game by shortening the lead?

“I think, this group, they play really, really, really gritty and hard, and we just had too many errors, that maybe don’t show up. Like I said, from an execution standpoint, I thought at times, our ball pressure, the transition, really hurt us. We didn’t have as much energy on the ball, and we have to improve that. Moving forward, we’re obviously about to play one of the leading scorers in the SEC that has her ball in her hands a lot of the time. So I thought that affected us today. But again, I thought they were really good at the four spot, and we obviously had a disadvantage there and tried to go a little bigger. I mean, obviously, I think in a game like this, you can definitely see that size. And we really, at times at the four spot, struggle tonight to be able to defend.”

Diana Collins has been playing a lot of minutes, how has that improved her toughness?

“She continues to get minutes, and I think the response is the energy, the effort, you know, understanding what the SEC is all about. Until you go through it, it’s hard to get to it. So I think each and every day, she has a great learning opportunity to continue to learn and grow and and we’re going to need a lot from her, you know, with essays absence. I mean, obviously she was playing 22, 23 minutes a game before, and now moving forward. I mean, I think it’s critical, critical to our success. She had a big second half against Ole Miss, so it’s great to see her progress.”

Do you feel that it was their depth of lack of execution that was able to get you over the hump?

[Win tickets: South Carolina-LSU WBB]

“Well, I think their second group’s as good as their first group, and their first group’s as good as their second group. And I think that’s something that makes them incredibly difficult to guard and defend is their depth and their talent. I think their second group, I think we’ve often seen on film, it’s incredible what they bring. And they do a great job in my mind, and it’s a compliment to Dawn or coaching staff of playing team basketball and really unselfish.

And so I think that’s what makes them really special. It’s not always the first wave that gets you. Sometimes it’s the second wave. And I thought their bench really was the difference. Obviously, they dominated our bench. And that’s something, you know, I look over there and you see Jess and you see Naomi, and you see Reychel, and you see SA [Sarah Ashlee] and you’re like, ‘Holy smoke.’ Those are four kids that be major contributors for us. So we’re a little thin over there, y’all, but I thought our kids really battled tonight.”

Karly Weather’s got her 100th career win- how valuable of a player is she in the SEC?

“She’s just always doing what she’s supposed to be doing, where she’s supposed to be doing it at and she’s just makes so many hustle plays. I mean, she’s the glue player for us, and she’s always in the right spot. And often, when you do the right thing, and you can answer that question, good things are gonna happen. And so again, it’s just she has incredible basketball IQ and just savvy and really is fun to have on your team, because you can always count on her.”

How tough is it to play in the SEC?

“Well, I don’t necessarily think it’s tough. I think as a competitor, you love it. As a coach, I love that. As a player, you love that. And I think our team and our program has done a really good job of embracing those challenges. And you know, I think it helps prepare you for what’s ahead. And I just told our team, the teams that can stay together, the teams that can continue to learn and grow together and have perspective on each and every day, on how we can get better. Are the teams that are going to be successful, because if you’re weak or soft, you’re just not going to be able to stay consistent in this league and give yourself a chance. And so there’s no other locker room. I mean, there’s some things I can continue to grow and do better. I felt like there, with 6:45 to go, we’d cut it to five minutes, two free throws. Goodness gracious, you know, and maybe I should have done a better job down the stretch of trying to help them. So we’re all going to continue to work and grow. And I just answer your question. I love the SEC. There’s no other league in the country, and I embrace that, and I hope my team will as well.”

How has the team grown from a tough SEC schedule?

“I think the thing is that is impressed me so much, we’ve had so many people step up. I mean, our first team All-SEC is on the bench, and these kids continue to step up. And injuries are part of it — we have no excuses — but I do know this, that when she’s back, we’re going to be that much better. I always see things in adversity as a blessing in disguise. So I’m really proud of how these kids continue to step up. We’re a little short handed, but they compete in battle, and that’s all we can ask. And again, I think their response will probably be pretty good on Sunday. I’m excited to hop on a plane and go up the hill with them.”

With Sarah Ashlee being out, what have you seen from other teams defensively and Zaay Green stepping up?

[Win tickets: South Carolina-Oklahoma WBB]

“I mean, you know, I think Zaay has done an unbelievable job. When you have the ball in your hands, I think a lot of her success comes from other people spacing their patients on screens, their screening actions, and then we’ve got to open the driving lane. So I think sometimes we all get focused on Zaay, but it’s everybody in the action around her and the ball changing sides of the floor and the movement that can really create some opportunities for her. At Ole Miss, she had 27 and then had nine assists and two turnovers tonight. I thought she gave you everything that she had and really competed extremely hard. And, you know, sometimes when your shots not falling, I think that you just got to continue to stay with it and let the game come to you. But I thought we did a really poor job at times of getting open and helping her out. So it’s five players in a ready position, and everyone’s job is equally as important with the ball or without the ball.”

What was your message to the team at the half after South Carolina was dominant in the glass in the first half?

“Well, you know, I think that it’s hard to simulate that. And so, I think it’s always about your response. And we talk a lot about that in our program. I thought their response at halftime. You know, we always ask them to have three improvement areas on the board. The first thing on there is we have to rebound better. So I think sometimes, until they decide that’s something that’s important to them, I can’t make it as important as they can for themselves. And they did a much better job of their response. You know, we went a little bigger. So that might have been on me. I thought Christabel, Zaay came in and did a really good job, and we were just able to get our hands on some loose ball rebounds that maybe in the first half we weren’t.”

How was scoring across the board for your players changed with Sarah Ashlee being gone?

“We gotta have everybody pitch in and grab a bucket, make a free throw, sprint and transition, get an easy basket, you know, go get an offensive put back. So we talk a lot about how can we all get to 10 and so whatever our responsibilities are, but we gotta continue to have our bench step up and impact the stat sheet. Continue to do all the little things with buckets and box outs and all the things that really matter, spacing, sharing the ball. So we’ve got some young players that are getting an opportunity by being learning as they go, and that’s great, because you can only learn you know, when you actually have actions. So I think this will all be something that we can definitely improve from, because we’re getting the opportunity. Everybody on on play tonight and that’s how we’re going to have to do it.”