Cori Rashel Close (born July 29, 1971)[1] is an American basketball coach who is the head coach for the UCLA Bruins women's team.[2] She played college basketball as a guard for the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos from 1989 to 1993, serving as a team captain during her final two seasons and helping them reach consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.[3] Following the end of her playing career, Close served as an assistant coach with UCLA from 1993 to 1995, UC Santa Barbara from 1995 to 2004, and the Florida State Seminoles from 2004 to 2011 before being named UCLA's head coach in 2011. Close won the 2026 basketball championship with the Bruins. The Bruins went 37–1 and won the program's first basketball championship in the NCAA era.[4]
.jpg) Close with UCLA in 2026 | |
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | UCLA |
| Conference | Big Ten |
| Record | 358–144 (.713) |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | July 29, 1971 Milpitas, California, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1989–1993 | UC Santa Barbara |
| Position | Guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1993–1995 | UCLA (assistant) |
| 1995–2004 | UC Santa Barbara (Asst./Assoc.) |
| 2004–2011 | Florida State (AHC) |
| 2011–present | UCLA |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 358–144 (.713) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| |
| Awards | |
| |
College career UCSB 1989-93
editClose played four years on the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos women's basketball team.[5] As of the 2025-26 season, she was listed in the career top ten in assists and steals for the Gauchos.[5] She was the Big West conference tournament player of the game in 1993.[5] Her teams advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament in 1992 and 1993.
College statistics
edit| Year | Team | GP | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | BPG | SPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989–90 | UC Santa Barbara | 13 | 43.2% | 27.3% | 65.2% | 2.85 | 2.69 | 0.00 | 2.08 | 6.31 |
| 1990–91 | UC Santa Barbara | 29 | 41.3% | 30.8% | 75.9% | 2.62 | 4.28 | 0.03 | 1.90 | 8.97 |
| 1991–92 | UC Santa Barbara | 32 | 48.8% | 31.9% | 77.5% | 2.28 | 5.84 | 0.06 | 1.88 | 12.69 |
| 1992–93 | UC Santa Barbara | 31 | 43.4% | 36.8% | 79.8% | 0.52 | 8.29 | 0.06 | 2.52 | 15.35 |
| Career | 105 | 44.6% | 33.8% | 77.2% | 1.92 | 5.74 | 0.05 | 2.10 | 11.66 |
| Year | Team | GP | FG | FGA | 3P | 3PA | FT | FTA | REB | A | BK | ST | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989–90 | UC Santa Barbara | 13 | 32 | 74 | 3 | 11 | 15 | 23 | 37 | 35 | 0 | 27 | 82 |
| 1990–91 | UC Santa Barbara | 29 | 93 | 225 | 8 | 26 | 66 | 87 | 76 | 124 | 1 | 55 | 260 |
| 1991–92 | UC Santa Barbara | 32 | 145 | 297 | 23 | 72 | 93 | 120 | 73 | 187 | 2 | 60 | 406 |
| 1992–93 | UC Santa Barbara | 31 | 169 | 389 | 35 | 95 | 103 | 129 | 16 | 257 | 2 | 78 | 476 |
| Career | 105 | 439 | 985 | 69 | 204 | 277 | 359 | 202 | 603 | 5 | 220 | 1224 |
Coaching career
editUCLA (1993-95)
editClose was assistant on the Bruin coaching staff in for the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons, where she established a mentorship relationship with coach emeritus John Wooden.[11][12] Close said that the bond started because she shared the same first name spelling as Wooden's great-granddaughter.[13]
UC Santa Barbara
editCori became an assistant coach at her alma mater in 1995.[14]
Florida State
editIn May 2004, Close became associate head coach at Florida State under head coach Sue Semrau.[15] The Seminoles made the NCAA Tournament in each of Close’s seven seasons on the staff in Tallahassee, including the program’s first appearances in the Sweet Sixteen (2007) and Elite Eight (2010).
UCLA (2011-present)
editOn April 21, 2011, Close was named head coach at UCLA.[16] She led the Bruins to their first Final Four of the NCAA tournament in 2025, after taking them to the Sweet Sixteen six times, advancing to the regional final once in 2018.[17]
In the 2026 NCAA national championship game, the Bruins defeated South Carolina 79–51 for the program's first NCAA title.[18]
Leather pants
editClose explained the superstition around her wearing leather pants on gameday was started by strength coach Ash Samaniego in Paris, France, before the 2024-25 season opener.[19] Close said she is undefeated when wearing the pants since the Bruins beat Louisville in that 2024 game. She did not wear the pants in the 2026 NCAA semifinal against Texas.[19] Although not superstitious herself, she stated in the pregame interview that enough people commented that she felt she needed to wear them for the 2026 National Championship game.[19]
Head coaching record
edit| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA (Pac-12 Conference) (2011–2024) | |||||||||
| 2011–12 | UCLA | 14–16 | 9–9 | T–5th | |||||
| 2012–13 | UCLA | 26–8 | 14–4 | 3rd | NCAA Second Round | ||||
| 2013–14 | UCLA | 13–18 | 7–11 | 8th | |||||
| 2014–15 | UCLA | 19–18 | 8–10 | 6th | WNIT Champions | ||||
| 2015–16 | UCLA | 26–9 | 14–4 | T–3rd | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| 2016–17 | UCLA | 25–9 | 13–5 | 4th | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| 2017–18 | UCLA | 27–8 | 14–4 | T–3rd | NCAA Elite Eight | ||||
| 2018–19 | UCLA | 22–13 | 12–6 | 4th | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| 2019–20 | UCLA | 26–5 | 14–4 | T–2nd | Postseason not held | ||||
| 2020–21 | UCLA | 17–6 | 12–4 | 3rd | NCAA Second Round | ||||
| 2021–22 | UCLA | 18–13 | 8–8 | 7th | WNIT Semifinals | ||||
| 2022–23 | UCLA | 27–10 | 11–7 | T–4th | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| 2023–24 | UCLA | 27–7 | 13–5 | T–2nd | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| UCLA (Big Ten Conference) (2024–present) | |||||||||
| 2024–25 | UCLA | 34–3 | 16–2 | 2nd | NCAA Final Four | ||||
| 2025–26 | UCLA | 37–1 | 18–0 | 1st | NCAA Champions | ||||
| UCLA: | 358–144 (.713) | 183–83 (.688) | |||||||
| Total: | 358–144 (.713) | ||||||||
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National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
Awards and honors
edit- March 23, 2016 – Close was named the 2016 United States Marine Corps/WBCA NCAA Division I Region 5 Coach of the Year
- March 6, 2019 – Close was named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year by Pac-12 women's basketball media members[20]
- March 20, 2025 – Close was named USBWA Coach of the Year[21][22]
- April 2, 2025 – Close was the 2025 Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year[23]
References
edit- ↑ "Women's Basketball Coaches Career". NCAA. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
- ↑ "Cori Close is introduced as UCLA women's basketball coach". Los Angeles Times. April 21, 2011. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
- ↑ "Cori Close Biography - UCLA Bruins Official Athletic Site | UCLABruins.com". Archived from the original on November 8, 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
- ↑ Robinson, Cameron Teague - UCLA clobbers South Carolina for first NCAA national title in program history. New York Times, April 5, 2026
- 1 2 3 UCSB Gauchos women's basketball record book 2025-26. ucsbgauchos.com retrieved May 1, 2026
- ↑ "NCAA Statistics". web1.ncaa.org. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- ↑ "FINAL 1990 DIVISION I WOMEN'S BASKETBALL STATISTICS REPORT" (PDF). NCAA.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- ↑ "FINAL 1991 DIVISION I WOMEN'S BASKETBALL STATISTICSREPORT" (PDF). NCAA.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- ↑ "FINAL 1992 DIVISION I WOMEN'S BASKETBALL STATISTICS REPORT" (PDF). NCAA.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- ↑ "FINAL 1993 DIVISION I WOMEN'S BASKETBALL STATISTICS REPORT" (PDF). NCAA.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- ↑ Shultz, Alec - UCLA women's basketball Coach Cori Close learned from a legend, John Wooden. Los Angeles Times, March 17, 2016
- ↑ Jennings, Chantel - Tuesdays with Wooden: How visits with legendary UCLA coach shaped Cori Close’s Final Four path. New York Times, April 4, 2025
- ↑ Megdal, Howard - U.C.L.A. Women’s Coach Cori Close Follows John Wooden’s Example. The New York Times, November 16, 2016
- ↑ Foster, Ellah - Work Hard, Play Hard: An Alum’s Rise to Head Coach at UCLA. University of California, Santa Barbara Alumni, retrieved April 7, 2026
- ↑ "Cori Close Joins Women's Basketball Staff". Florida State University Athletics. May 18, 2004. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
- ↑ "Cori Close Named UCLA Women's Basketball Coach". UCLA Athletics. April 21, 2011. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
- ↑ Bolch, Ben (March 30, 2025). "UCLA shines in critical moments to defeat LSU and reach Final Four for first time". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
- ↑ "UCLA storms past South Carolina to claim its 1st NCAA women's basketball title". Associated Press. April 5, 2026. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Reid, Tia - Why is UCLA coach Cori Close wearing leather pants vs South Carolina in NCAA championship? Mississippi Clarion-Ledger (Greenville News greenvillieonline.com), April 5, 2026
- ↑ "Cori Close Awarded Media Pac-12 Coach of the Year". uclabruins.com. March 6, 2019.
- ↑ Moran, Malcom - UCLA's Close is USBWA Women's National Coach of the Year. U.S. Basketball Writers Association, March 20, 2025
- ↑ "Cori Close Tabbed USBWA Coach of the Year". uclabruins.com. March 20, 2025.
- ↑ Considine, Madeline -Bruins' Cori Close Earns Another National Coaching Honor. Sports Illustrated, April 3, 2025, In the midst of a record-breaking season and UCLA’s first NCAA Final Four appearance, Coach Cori Close has been honored as the 2025 Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year.
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