PHOENIX – Cori Close is somebody who is aware of when to uplift and when to push.
It’s that stability that is made Close the most profitable head coach in UCLA ladies’s basketball historical past with over 350 wins to her identify and nonetheless counting. This season particularly, as the Bruins enter the Final Four and chase a nationwide championship, it has been pleasure and achievement that is been on the forefront of Close’s thoughts.
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She’s one in all the most media seen coaches in ladies’s school basketball at this time, scarcely turning down a chat present or podcast look and utilizing her platform to repeatedly elevate not simply her workforce, however ladies’s basketball as a complete. Her postgame conferences learn like a motivational seminar, rife with aphorisms about requirements, rules and dedication.
Head coach Cori Close of the UCLA Bruins claps on the sideline throughout an NCAA basketball recreation in opposition to the Purdue Boilermakers, Wednesday January 21, 2026 in Los Angeles, Calif.
Jordan Teller – The Sporting Tribune
Head coach Cori Close of the UCLA Bruins claps on the sideline throughout an NCAA basketball recreation in opposition to the Purdue Boilermakers, Wednesday January 21, 2026 in Los Angeles, Calif.
But, as joyous as Close is, she’s additionally somebody who’s unafraid to deliver the hammer down. In practices, she’s laser centered on enchancment. Should a play go mistaken and the effort is not to her liking, the Bruins can anticipate wall sits or baseline sprints of their future, all whereas Close continues to be making speeches about progress or excellence, although in a decidedly completely different tone.
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Pushing for the greatest
“She just wants the best from you and she knows what your goals are and what it takes to get there,” senior ahead Timea Gardiner stated. “Sometimes, those days are tough and she’s on you all the time. But you learn how to get the perspective that she wants what’s best for you and she knows what it takes to get there.”
Close is the embodiment of the two sides of management, nurturing and demanding, each uplifting her gamers in order that they have the area to develop and pushing their limits in order that they develop additional nonetheless.
Head coach Cori Close of the UCLA Bruins on the sideline throughout an NCAA basketball recreation in opposition to the Purdue Boilermakers, Wednesday January 21, 2026 in Los Angeles, Calif.
Jordan Teller – The Sporting Tribune
Head coach Cori Close of the UCLA Bruins on the sideline throughout an NCAA basketball recreation in opposition to the Purdue Boilermakers, Wednesday January 21, 2026 in Los Angeles, Calif.
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The advantageous line that Close walks is what she calls the stability between battle and pleasure.
“You try to celebrate what you want to see more of and celebrate the growth that you see and then still have an edge about you,” Close stated. “I don’t think anybody grows to their maximum level and when it’s just joy and it’s just loosey goosey. But… if you’re just demeaned and it’s just laborious and you’re struggling all the time, I don’t think you get your maximum growth.”
It’s the little issues
Gardiner is one in all a number of Bruins with a number of seasons below her belt in the Cori Close Experience. Gardiner transferred to UCLA in 2024 after two seasons at Oregon State and she has seen how far Close’s dedication to requirements from massive to small may be.
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One instance that got here to Gardiner’s thoughts was a time when the workforce forgot to finish their meal order varieties on time. Close wasn’t happy and Gardiner stated that Close informed everybody to “take care of their crap!”
It’s the little issues like that that mirror how deeply Close’s dedication to excellence extends. It’s not simply the X’s and O’s of basketball that matter to her and contribute to successful in her eyes. It’s the self-discipline and consideration to element in all issues that builds towards successful.
“It’s the small details. Everything matters. Meal order forms, laundry, things that you think that wouldn’t matter, they do for her. It’s proven that it gets us to where we’re at today and her culture’s huge,” Gardiner said.
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Close is prepared to push everyone to get the best out of them. It doesn’t matter if it’s a role player or someone leading the call sheet.
Senior center Lauren Betts is the best example of Close’s duality in her lack of exceptions and her nurturing spirit.
Head coach Cori Close of the UCLA Bruins talks to Lauren Betts #51 of the UCLA Bruins in the huddle during an NCAA basketball game against the Purdue Boilermakers, Wednesday January 21, 2026 in Los Angeles, Calif.
Jordan Teller – The Sporting Tribune
Head coach Cori Close of the UCLA Bruins talks to Lauren Betts #51 of the UCLA Bruins in the huddle during an NCAA basketball game against the Purdue Boilermakers, Wednesday January 21, 2026 in Los Angeles, Calif.
Betts came into UCLA as a sophomore transfer from Stanford at a low point of her life and wrapped in a battle with her mental health that she’s since expressed in a self-written article in The Player’s Tribune.
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Close and Betts had to work and grow together as the head coach found the line of how to help her struggling player while also helping her find her strength as a player.
Years later, Betts is in a much better place and thriving as one of the top players in the sport. She too is not spared by any of Close’s pushing, though she knows it’s for the best.
“I don’t want to get emotional, but she means a lot to me. She’s helped all of us so much,” Betts said of Close. “I’m just very grateful for her and she does so much off the court that you guys don’t really see. She’s hard on me every single day and annoys me at times, but I know it’s because she loves me.”
