Dawn Staley and Geno Auriemma headline Naismith College Coach of the Year watch list

The watch list for the 2024-25 Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year award was released on Wednesday. It was posted on the Naismith Awards’ official X page and headlined by legendary women’s college basketball coaches Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks and Geno Auriemma of the UConn Huskies.

Other prominent candidates for the prestigious honor include USC Trojans coach Lindsay Gottlieb, UCLA Bruins coach Cori Close, Notre Dame Fighting Irish coach Niele Ivey, LSU Tigers coach Kim Mulkey and Texas Longhorns coach Vic Schaefer, among others.

Check out the full watch list for College Coach of the Year below.

Among the coaches in the watch list, Auriemma has won the award a record eight times, beginning in 1995. However, the 70-year-old has not received the honor in nearly eight years, with his last win coming in 2017.

Staley, meanwhile, has dominated in recent years, winning four of the last five College Coach of the Year awards. She first won in 2020, before Stanford Cardinal coach Tara VanDerveer claimed the honor in 2021. Staley then won the last three, including the most recent award in 2023.

While Staley and Auriemma are the frontrunners, other coaches could emerge as contenders, Close is a strong candidate, as the third-ranked Bruins held the No. 1 national ranking for a significant portion of the season. Ivey could also make a case, having led top-ranked Notre Dame to key victories over several watch list coaches.

With the women’s college basketball regular season nearing its end, the race for College Coach of the Year remains open. Staley could become the first coach to win four consecutive awards, but another candidate may step up to claim the honor.

Geno Auriemma's recent win over Dawn Staley could help his case

On Sunday, Feb. 16, Geno Auriemma and the UConn Huskies secured one of their biggest wins of the season, defeating the reigning national champion South Carolina Gamecocks by 29 points (87-58) in front of a hostile road crowd.

A statement victory like this could strengthen Auriemma’s case for the 2024-25 College Coach of the Year award, as he not only defeated Staley’s Gamecocks but did so in dominant fashion.

UConn ended its four-game losing skid to South Carolina with the win.