The CIAA has been the cradle of HBCU basketball throughout its existence. Coaching has always been a big part of that equation.
While all schools in the league are HBCU programs, not all programs are created equal. Even within the CIAA the range of facilities and salaries are pretty wide. Administrative support is also key to running a top program. And then there is location, because you have to live somewhere, correct?
The Field of 68 has been releasing job rankings based on anonymous coaching surveys. We went a different route.
A good bulk of the CIAA schools are in the private HBCU and salaries aren’t readily available. Here’s what we do know.
Confirmed CIAA salaries:
Lonnie Blow, VSU — $191k
Darrell Brooks, Bowie State — $130k
Corey Thompson, WSSU — $125k
John Richardson, ECSU — $113.3k
Devin Hoehn, Fayetteville State — $90k
Our expert says that the top three all have a case, but admitted the facilities and pay at VSU were hard to beat. He also had a sleeper in the fold.
“I’ll tell you what could be a really good job,” one former CIAA coach said in response to the list. “Lincoln. That location up North is perfect for kids who want to get out of the city.”
And of course, winning matters. Tradition runs deep in the CIAA with several of the top programs in D2 basketball history. Then there are other programs that had a stint of success but lack the lasting brand power of others.
“A couple of years ago, Livingstone would probably be higher on that list,” our expert said.
SJG’s CIAA coaching jobs ranking
- Virginia State — Best facilities in the CIAA and amongst the best in the nation. Highest pay in the league. Great administrative support. Modest expectations. Decent location with moderate cost of living. Lonnie Blow’s tenure has elevated the position.
2. Winston-Salem State — Great tradition with a passionate and vocal fanbase (including an opinionated alumnus who shall remain nameless). Good salary. Good location. Facilities keep this job at no. 2.
3. Virginia Union — Great tradition. Good location. Institutional stability. Hard to be ranked any lower than this when “Four Time National Champion” is etched on your building. Like WSSU, facilities pretty much the only thing holding this job from challenging for no. 1.
4. Claflin — Solid facilities. Basketball focused with no football to get in the way. Location neutral.
5. Bowie State — Great, but expensive location. Good facility. Fertile recruiting ground. Expectations pretty modest as Brooks (a two-time champion) has just one winning record this decade.
6. Fayetteville State — Solid facilities. Good support staff. Stability in the athletic department. Pay isn’t great. Location neutral. D’Alessio and AD Tony Bennett have created some prestige for a program that hadn’t won a CIAA title since the Gerald Ford Administration.
7. JCSU — Great location and atmosphere. Solid tradition. Did we mention location? Hard to tell about this job since Stephen Joyner Jr. held it down for so long. Great media market if you can win.
8.Shaw — Great location with rising cost of living. Pay? Facilities sorely lacking but Bobby Collins and staff have put some talent in Spaulding this season.
9. ECSU — Solid pay. Working to improve facilities but remote location makes it a tough sell. A bit of a revolving door the past few years.
10. Lincoln — Great location for recruiting. Basketball-centric for sure. Not a lot of distractions. May be higher depending on pay. Won a the CIAA chip a few years ago and Julius Hodge is looking to build on that momentum.
11 Livingstone — Decent location in proximity to Charlotte. Cost of living manageable. Great atmosphere. Stinson (a two-time champion) is the longest tenured coach in the league, so stability matters at LC. He’s elevated the job but its true status might not be revealed for a while. Lots of potential and the school is on the rise.
12. Bluefield State — Location. Location. Location. It’s a hard sell, but clearly not impossible as Hoehn proved in 2025. Social media squad is top notch.