By Brian D. Stanchak, The BDS Agency
Since 2022, there have been 163 Division I Head Women’s Basketball Coach openings. We dive deep into the levels of experience, gender, and race of the coaches who were hired in each of these positions to see if there is an established trend.
The chart above details the number of hires who became a first-time Head Coach at the Division I level when hired. This chart includes hires who were previously an Assistant Coach or a non-Division I Head Coach directly prior to being hired as a Division I Head Coach. Over the past three years, 61.35% of hires were a first-time Division I Head Coach, with 33 or more first-time head coaches at the Division I level being hired during each of the previous three off-seasons.
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The chart above details the number of hires who were in another Division I Head Coach position when they were hired for a new Division I Head Coach position. Over the past three years, 28.22% of hires were in another Division I Head Coach position directly prior to being hired at a new University, with 15 or more Division I head coaches moving on to other Division I Head Coach positions during each of the previous three off-seasons.
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The chart above details the number of hires who were previously in a Division I Head Coach position at some point during their career, but were not in that Head Coach position the season prior to being hired for a new Division I Head Coach position. Examples include a former Division I Head Coach who was an Assistant Coach at another University directly prior to being hired, a former Division I Head Coach who was a non-Division I Head Coach directly prior to being hired, or a former Division I Head Coach who was not coaching at the time of their hiring. Over the past three years, 10.43% of hires were a Division I Head Coach at some point in their career, but not in that position the season directly prior to being hired.
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The chart above details the number of hires who were previously in a non-Division I Head Coach position when they were hired for a Division I Head Coach position. Examples include those who were a Division II, III, NAIA, or NJCAA Head Coach directly prior to being hired. Over the past three years, 16.56% of hires were in a non-Division I Head Coach position directly prior to being hired, with eight or more non-Division I head coaches moving up to Division I Head Coach positions during each of the previous three off-seasons.
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The chart above details the number of hires who were previously in a collegiate Head Coach position (NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA) at some point during their career, whether they were in that role directly prior to being hired or not. Over the past three years, 62.58% of hires had some previous Head Coach experience at the collegiate level prior to being hired.
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The chart above details the number of hires who had no prior collegiate (NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA) Head Coach experience prior to their hiring. Over the past three years, 37.42% of hires had no previous collegiate Head Coach experience prior to being hired.
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The chart above details the number of hires who were directly promoted from Assistant or Associate Head Coach to Head Coach of the same program by their University. Over the past three years, 14.11% of hires were promoted from Assistant or Associate Head Coach directly to Head Coach by their University, with this off-season having the most Assistant or Associate Head Coach promotions to Head Coach (10).
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The chart above details the number of females who were hired, regardless of prior experience. Over the past three years, 75.46% of hires were females.
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The chart above details the number of hires of coaches who are people of color, regardless of gender and prior experience. Over the past three years, 49.69% of hires were coaches who are people of color, with this off-season showing the highest percentage of people of color who were hired as Division I head coaches at 53.57%.
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The chart above details the number of hires of coaches who are female people of color, regardless of prior experience. Over the past three years, 36.81% of hires were female people of color.
Final Analysis: Head Coach experience continues to be highly valued by athletic administrators in the hiring for Division I Head Coach positions, as 2024’s percentage of hires who were previously in a collegiate Head Coach position at some point during their career exceeding 60% for the second time during the previous three off-seasons (67.86% in 2022 to 56.86% in 2023 to 62.50% in 2024).
We also continue to see an emphasis on the hiring of people of color in Division I Head Coach positions, as the percentage of the hires of coaches who are people of color, regardless of gender, has increased for the third consecutive year (46.43% in 2022 to 49.02% in 2023 to 53.57% in 2024).
About The BDS Agency: Founded in 2013, The BDS Agency is a nationally respected industry leader specializing in advising, marketing, and representing college basketball coaches to assist them in further maximizing and protecting all aspects of their careers. Since 2013, The BDS Agency has represented 83 clients who obtained a first-time or new Division I Head Women’s Basketball Coach position.