While superstars like Caitlin Clark and JuJu Watkins dominate the headlines, the real chess masters shaping the Women’s College Basketball season are on the sidelines. In a whirlwind season that saw teams like USC stumble without its star player and Iowa find new life, the battle for coaching supremacy is as fierce as ever.

As we head closer and closer towards March Madness, let us take a look at who our early contenders are to be named Coach of the Year in this season of Women’s College Basketball.

Geno Auriemma

The UConn Huskies have been flawless this season. Coming into the campaign after winning the NCAAW title with Paige Bueckers, decorated Head Coach Geno Auriemma has his sights set on a title defense and is eyeing to remain undefeated the entire season.

Geno Auriemma is already a legend in Women’s College Basketball and continues to show his excellence in areas like recruitment, injury management, and even handling poor starts to games, all of which the UConn Huskies have done ever so brilliantly this season.

Boasting a 21-0 record, the UConn Huskies have only one seeded opponent left. A title defense would automatically make Geno the clear favourite to win the Coach of the Year.

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Dawn Staley

The South Carolina women’s college basketball program has seen a complete revamp under the tutelage of Dawn Staley. From recruiting top talent to ensuring they are one of the leading contenders for honors at the end of almost every season, the South Carolina Head Coach is inarguably the best in South Carolina’s history, and continues to develop strong teams.

The latest example of her brilliant coaching was seen in the response to their defeat by the Oklahoma Sooners. While Dawn defended her players in the media, the grueling practice after the loss made sure they rectified their mistakes. And, it paid off in their game against Vanderbilt, with South Carolina ending their undefeated streak this season.

The highlight was that South Carolina excelled in every department that was pointed to as a reason for their loss to Oklahoma. Their 103-74 win over Vanderbilt showed they are ready to go one step further this season, and it would be another major accolade for the decorated head coach.

Jan Jensen

A true sign of developing the team has been seen with the Iowa Hawkeyes this season. The Women’s College Basketball team had a jittery start to their campaign. However, the chemistry now shown on the floor, including the development of Chazadi ‘Chit-Chat’ Wright, has been commendable.

Their performances have resulted in the first top 10 AP ranking since Caitlin Clark’s departure to the WNBA. The 9-0 run in the Conference Play matchups is something unprecedented and was not even seen while Caitlin was representing the Hawkeyes, showing just how impressive the growth of the team has been.

Plus, the development of Addie Deal has also gone a little under the radar. If the Iowa Hawkeyes can continue such performances going into March Madness, Jan Jensen will definitely be a strong contender for Coach of the Year.

Cori Close

The UCLA Bruins have been utterly dominant this season. Despite losing one game, their blowout wins against top-seeded opponents continue to provide reality checks to top college programs about their own season prospects. Cori Close can also become part of a unique history, with the potential of a record number of players being picked in the WNBA Draft this season from UCLA.

Lauren Betts continues to improve her draft stock, whereas her sister Sienna Betts is getting more and more minutes as the season goes on. A lot of credit goes to Cori Close for how she has managed such a talented group of seniors, with some of them even opting not to enter the 2025 WNBA Draft to play one more year together.

A deep tournament run wouldn’t just be a fitting send-off for this talented roster; it would make Close’s case for Coach of the Year undeniable

Vic Schaefer

One program that deserves its due credit this season is that at Texas. The Longhorns have outperformed their preseason AP ranking by defeating several teams ranked near them. Plus, the team currently holds one of the largest point differential averages in the whole NCAAW.

Head Coach Vic Schaefer’s high-intensity defensive style has shone through their performances this season, Even in their two losses, their defense held opponents to low point totals. Texas could prove to be a unique challenger to UCLA and UConn this season if it can manage to do the same to these two top challengers.

Early signs point towards Texas making a deep run in the NCAAW Tournament, and that would make Schaefer a strong contender to be named the Coach of the Year.

Who do you think will be named the Coach of the Year? Drop your picks in the comments below.