The CCAA, California Collegiate Athletic Association, is the best Division 2 women’s basketball conference, in the nation. If you haven’t seen all the talented players and coaches in the CCAA, do yourself a favor and go to a game.
LA Women’s Hoops has always been harping about the low salaries for coaches in California. When a friend emailed a list of the salaries for CCAA head coaches, I was very surprised. Some coaches are making a decent salary; notice I said decent, not great salary. Others are stealing money because they are terrible. And others are so underpaid, it’s not even funny.
School Salary 2009-10 Finish
1. Cal St Los Angeles $95,004: 11th place
2. Cal St. Dominguez Hills $91,744: 10th place
3. Cal St. San Bernandino $90,749: 7th place
4. UC San Diego $82,000: 1st place
5. CP Pomona $80,530: 2nd place
6. Cal St Stanislaus $80,889: 9th place
7. Sonoma St. $79,912: 8th place
8. Humbolt St. $76,912: 5th place
9. Chico St. $70,340: 3rd place
10. San Francisco St. $58,744: 6th place
11. Cal St East Bay $58,006: 12th place
12. Cal St Monterey Bay $57,701: 4th place
This list is just base salary for coaching and was from the 08-09 season. So it may not be fair to list the 09-10 season finishes, but I highly doubt there would be much change in the next year. Other sources of income-teaching, camp, booster club, fundraising monies are not included. But, no CCAA coach is adding, even half, their salary from other sources.
This list clearly shows, that CS Monterey Bay's coach, Renee Jimenez, is doing a great job and is so underpaid, it's not even funny. She is the lowest paid head coach in the CCAA and still leads her team to a 4th place finish!!! She deserves a raise.
Cal State LA was not satisfied with the performance of their other coach and fired her, but CSULA never bothered to issue a release about the firing. Why? Some BS university policy!! Anyways, they just hired a new coach; Janell Jones. Jones has a good record, but she is a carpetbagger. She has had three jobs within the past five years-UC San Diego, Mercer, and now CSULA, but has never been fired. How long is she going to stay at CSULA? Personally, I think CSULA should have hired the other finalist. Not only would the other finalist, turn around the program, she wouldn't leave after a few years.
Cal Poly Pomona's head coach resigned. So they are looking for a new coach.
Cal State East Bay, fired their coach, they also didn't bother to issue a release, and recently hired Suzy Barcomb, from Puget Sound. Of course CSU East Bay fired their black female head coach and replaced her with a white head coach. Hmmm But I also know that CSU East Bay will pay their new head coach about $70,000 a year.
But the coach at Cal St. Dominguez Hills has been there forever and he has a .500 record. Where are the high expectations?
San Bernandino has the best facilities in the CCAA and he is the third highest paid coach but he can only finish 7th? He has won about a 55% of his games while at CSUSB but shouldn't they expect more from him, considering the high salary and the great facilities?
The point of this story isn't to point out coach's salaries, but to point out how LOW paying, head coach's positions are in California. I feel any head coach in California needs to start at $150,000. Of course that means more pressure on the coaches to win. But any coach worth a damn, would welcome that kind of pressure.
A higher starting salary will attract a better pool of candidates and more importantly, keep a good coach. For example, will Cal St. Monterey Bay be able to keep their head coach? She had done such a great job in two short years, I have no doubt other schools will be calling!!
