Bruin Affiliates: Bruin Affiliates Luncheon
Wed 9/16 • 11:30AM PDT
James West Alumni Center •
More Than a Trophy - A Lasting Legacy
Join Bruin Affiliates for our September luncheon as Cori Close shares her experience coaching a winning team and her approach to carrying it forward. Cori coached the UCLA women’s basketball team to its first-
ever NCAA championship last season, and shares the credit with her outstanding woman’s team that exemplified resilience, toughness and a strong bond that held them together during the remarkable
season. Mentored by the legendary John Wooden, she has instilled values that brought the team to national recognition. “It’s not about any one of us — it’s about what we build together.”
Close has built an extraordinary legacy at UCLA since taking over as head coach in 2011, compiling a 321-143 record and becoming the program's all-time winningest coach. Her crowning achievement came in 2026 when she led the Bruins to their first-ever women's basketball national championship, going 37-1 and routing South Carolina 79-51 in the title game, capping back-to-back Big Ten Tournament titles in 2025 and 2026. Along the way she swept all four major national Coach of the Year awards in 2024-25, developed seven WNBA draft picks, and received the 2024 WBCA Carol Eckman Integrity in Coaching Award —
earning a contract extension through the 2029-30 season in recognition of her sustained excellence both on and off the court.