Rutgers women’s basketball coaching candidates: Will Scarlet Knights swing for the fences?

For just the third time in the past 31 years, Rutgers is on the market for a women’s basketball coach.

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Scarlet Knights athletic director Keli Zinn fired head coach Coquese Washington on Monday, ending a disastrous four-year tenure in Piscataway. The first coaching change of Zinn’s tenure opens up one of the most prestigious jobs in the sport, putting Rutgers in position to revive what used to be one of its marquee programs.

“Rutgers women’s basketball has a proud and storied history of success and there is no reason why our program cannot return to its place among the nation’s elite,” Zinn said in a statement announcing the firing. “We have invested in women’s basketball in many ways, we compete in the best athletic conference in the country, and we are supported by passionate fans and loyal donors. I am confident we will find the right coach who can elevate this program to where it belongs. I want to thank Coquese for her service to Rutgers and wish her the best.”

Will Zinn be able to land a household name with proven success at the high-major level? Will she look to find a young up-and-comer who can breathe life into the program? Will she promote from within, replacing Washington with her highly-qualified associate head coach?

Here are some potential candidates to look for, separated into categories:

HAIL MULKEY

LSU head coach Kim Mulkey cheers in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Auburn, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023, in Baton Rouge, La. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)AP

Kim Mulkey (LSU): Zinn and Rutgers President William Tate know the legendary head coach well after watching her win an NCAA Tournament and win over 100 games across time together in Baton Rouge. But because Mulkey is one of the greatest coaches in the history of the sport, she has the biggest contract in the country.

She signed a 10-year, $32 million deal in 2023 and earned $2,950,000 this winter, a salary that rises by $100,000 every year.

The Scarlet Knights cannot compete with the resources offered by the Tigers, whether that is salary or investment in the program’s name, image and likeness (NIL) coffers. No matter how much she likes Tate and Zinn, it would take a miracle to convince a woman who spent her entire life in the south to leave one of the premier programs in the country to rebuild Rutgers.

Still: it is worth making the phone call.

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley directs her team against Mississippi during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Columbia, S.C., Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)AP

Dawn Staley, South Carolina head coach: There are myriad reasons why this will never happen. Staley has turned the Gamecocks into a national powerhouse that goes toe-to-toe with UConn, winning three national championships in the past 18 years while being a contender once again this spring.

Staley signed a massive extension in January of 2025 that runs through the 2029-30 season and will pay her over $4 million a year on average, making her the most well-paid coach in the sport.

Of course, Rutgers should send out feelers to the Philadelphia native, who is a close friend of Stringer. Though it would take an unprecedented series of events (and financial commitment) for the Scarlet Knights to get Staley, it never hurts to ask.

HOME RUN HIRES

Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico yells from the sideline during an NCAA basketball game against Northwestern on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)AP

Kim Barnes Arico (Michigan):The Long Island native built Michigan into a Big Ten contender, and after leading the Wolverines to an Elite Eight last year, she looks poised to make another deep run this March. She has spent the last 14 years in Ann Arbor, where she has made her home after growing up and coaching in the New York/New Jersey area for decades, taking Michigan to eight NCAA Tournaments, winning the WNIT and twice being named the Big Ten’s Coach of the Year.

But if she wanted to come back home, the barrier to do so is surprisingly low.

Barnes Arico earns just under $900,000 in base salary and promotional appearances, with another six-figure payout virtually guaranteed in attainable bonuses given the level she raised the program, according to the contract she signed during the 2022-23 season. That is not much more than the $850,000 Washington was set to earn this upcoming winter.

More importantly, her buyout is very affordable, sitting at $200,000 this offseason.

Barnes Arico grew up on Long Island, went to school at Montclair State, and coached high school (Chatham) and college (NJIT) in New Jersey before hitting the big time. She turned St. John’s from an afterthought to a Big East contender across 10 seasons in Queens, ending UConn’s 99-game win streak at home and reaching the Sweet 16 of the 2012 NCAA Tournament. She left the Red Storm as the winningest coach in program history to go to Michigan, where she became the winningest coach in the Wolverines’ program history.

Would she want to uproot her life at 55 years old and attempt a third major rebuild close to home? If the answer to that question is anything other than a resounding no, then she should be the first phone call Zinn makes in this process.

Fairfield head coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis reacts during the NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament against Quinnipiac, Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Atlantic City, N.J. Fairfield won 76-53. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)AP

Carly Thibault-DuDonis (Fairfield): The 34-year old is a rising star in the women’s basketball industry. She has gone 99-26 across her first four seasons at Fairfield, including an 84-11 record over the past three years and a 25-4 record so far this winter. The Stags earned a share of a third straight MAAC regular season title and will reach a third straight NCAA Tournament this winter.

With her reputation comes a lot of interest. Thibault-DuDonis turned down Wisconsin last offseason, electing to sign an extension with Fairfield through the 2030-31 season. She is clearly being selective on what her next coaching job will be. Is Rutgers an attractive enough destination to make her consider leaving her budding dynasty in Connecticut?

North Carolina head coach Courtney Banghart directs the team during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Notre Dame, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)AP

Courtney Banghart, North Carolina head coach:After spending 12 seasons at Princeton — where she led the Tigers to seven Ivy League titles and eight NCAA Tournament appearances, including a 30-0 start during the 2014-15 season — Banghart has been successful in Chapel Hill. She has had seven straight winning seasons, is on pace to reach the NCAA Tournament for a sixth straight, and is recruiting at a high level. She may have no desire to leave, and she earns a respectable $1 million between base salary ($400,000), payments from Nike ($225,000) and Learfield ($175,000) and supplemental income ($200,000), but her buyout is a reasonable $200,000 (50 percent of her base salary).

REALISTIC TARGETS

Megan Duffy, Virginia Tech head coach: The former Notre Dame and WNBA player (including a stint with the Liberty) has been a head coach for nine years — two at Miami of Ohio, five at Marquette and now two at Virginia Tech. She has won 19 or more games eight times, including this season, and is on pace to make the NCAA Tournament for a fourth time this winter. She was an assistant at St. John’s and George Washington earlier in her career, so she has East Coast ties.

Duffy earned $825,000 this season, which is roughly the same range as Washington.

Columbia head coach Megan Griffith gestures towards the court during the second half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament in Chapel Hill, N.C. Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)AP

Megan Griffith, Columbia head coach:The Pennsylvania has spent her entire college basketball career as a player and a coach in the Ivy League, playing at Columbia and serving as an assistant coach at Princeton before taking over her alma mater. She has led the Lady Lions to three straight Ivy League titles and back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, streaks that are on pace to continue this winter.

Griffith is young (40), dynamic and filled with upside. She will have plenty of options, but with a contract set to run out in the 2027-28 season, is this the time she expands her horizons outside of the Ivy League?

Tammi Reiss, Rhode Island head coach: Reiss could be a hot commodity on the coaching carousel after a breakout year in Kingston.

The New York native has led Rhode Island since 2019, winning an Atlantic 10 title and making two WNIT appearances. Standing at 25-4, the Rams won a share of the Atlantic 10 regular season title and are on pace to earn their first NCAA Tournament bid since 1996 this winter.

REGIONAL RAID?

Seton Hall Pirates head coach Tony Bozzella calls plays from the sidelines as Rutgers takes on Seton Hall in NCAA Women's Basketball Championship first round game at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT 3/21/15 (Amanda Marzullo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) NJ Advance Media for NJ.comNJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Tony Bozzella, Seton Hall head coach: It may be hard to pry Bozzella from his alma mater, but his ability to field competitive teams could be a tremendous pairing with Rutgers’ resources. Seton Hall hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2015, when it captured a share of the Big East title, but the Pirates have clinched a seventh consecutive winning season this winter.

Carla Berube, Princeton head coach: The former UConn star built Tufts into a Division-3 power before taking over the Tigers. Berube led Princeton to four consecutive NCAA Tournaments, twice reaching the second round, while winning at least 21 games in each of her seven seasons at the helm. Would she want to bring that momentum up Route 1 and into the Big Ten?

FAMILIAR FACE?

UConn associate head coach Chris Dailey, left, talks with head coach Geno Auriemma, right, in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Marquette, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)AP

Chris Dailey, UConn associate head coach:The window for Dailey to come home likely closed a decade ago, but Rutgers needs to find out for sure. The New Brunswick native was a captain and star player on the Scarlet Knights’ 1982 AIAW national championship team before winning 12 national titles and 24 Big East championships at UConn as Geno Auriemma’s top assistant. Rutgers needs a candidate with head-coaching experience and a winning resume, and Dailey checks off all those boxes.

Chelsea Newton, Texas A&M associate head coach: The former Rutgers standout was on Stringer’s staff from 2010-15 and is considered a rising star in coaching. But would the Louisiana native want to come back, or would she prefer to wait for an SEC job to open after spending the past decade inside the conference?

LSU CONNECTION?

If the Scarlet Knights cannot get Mulkey, could they look toward one of her assistants?

— Associate head coach Bob Starkey has never been a head coach, but he has been at Mulkey’s side since 2022 and previously served as an assistant under Gary Blair at Texas A&M for a decade.

— Daphne Mitchell spent the past 11 years working under Mulkey at LSU (5) and Baylor (6). She coached elite post players like Angel Reese and Aneesah Morrow, helping them reach the WNBA.

— Gary Redus II joined Mulkey’s staff at LSU in 2022-23 and has built a reputation as a relentless recruiter.

INTERNAL PROMOTION?

Former Rutgers head coach C. Vivian Stringer (left) has a moment with UCLA assistant coach Shannon Perry-LeBeauf after UCL beat the Scarlet Knights, 84-66, in a Big Ten women’s basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in Piscataway, N.J. Perry-LeBeauf played for Stringer at the University of Iowa.Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Shannon LeBeauf, Rutgers senior associate head coach:On our list of candidates to replace Stringer four years ago, LeBeauf has since joined Rutgers as an assistant coach under Washington. While her stint o the bench did not go well, could things run smoother with her in the big seat?

LeBeauf was an accomplished assistant at UCLA before arriving in Piscataway, spending 14 seasons at the powerhouse program. She also coached at USC, Iowa and Duke, reaching the Final Four in 2006 with the Blue Devils.

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