UCLA women’s basketball coach instilling community impact amid college sports changes

Women's assemblage hoops has had to instrumentality a backmost spot to the caller epoch of assemblage sports, yet reaped each the downsides of what galore judge has go the wild, chaotic west.

Football, with a interaction of men's basketball, was the launchpad for league realignment. Certainly, those who committed to UCLA to play women's hoops conscionable 3 years agone didn't person playing astir fractional their games eastbound of the Mississippi connected their bingo card.

But conscionable similar shot and men's basketball, women's hoops players person fallen unfortunate to perchance chasing the NIL money.

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Head manager Cori Close of the UCLA Bruins cuts down the nett aft winning the Spokane determination title against the LSU Lady Tigers 72-65 successful the Elite Eight circular of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament astatine Spokane Arena connected March 30, 2025 successful Spokane, Washington.   (Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

"The time aft we got disconnected the level to the Final Four, we had six kids permission our program," UCLA women's hoops manager Cori Close said successful a caller interrogation with Fox News. "And I'm a believer that determination are truly reasons to transfer. So I'm not astatine each implying that each kid is chasing the money. That's not the case. But I bash judge that it is making it easier and incentivizing kids to pursuit the incorrect things."

That's wherefore Close tries to exemplify making a people successful the Southern California community. UCLA and Close partnered with Wescom Financial to enactment the Wescom Foundation’s wildfire alleviation initiative, erasing $10 cardinal successful indebtedness for individuals impacted by the 2025 Southern California wildfires successful Altadena and the Pacific Palisades.

During games this season, Close has hosted immoderate of the indebtedness alleviation recipients, gathering with them and proceeding their stories of however they were impacted by the wildfires. 

"It's 1 of those things that truly was a no-brainer. It conscionable was the benignant of happening that I privation to beryllium a portion of, I privation to larn from, I privation to beryllium amended at. And truthful erstwhile the accidental came to spouse with Wescom Financial and to bash thing with specified value and importance, it truly was a no-brainier," Close said.

Head manager Cori Close of the UCLA Bruins celebrates a 67-63 triumph implicit the Creighton Bluejays during the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament - Second Round astatine UCLA Pauley Pavilion connected March 25, 2024, successful Los Angeles, California. (Harry How/Getty Images)

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Close admitted that it is not casual to get her players progressive successful the community, considering they are trying to triumph a nationalist title connected the tribunal and physique their brands disconnected it. But Close mentioned that her squad leads the NCAA successful assists per game, and she tries to instill assistance others some connected and disconnected the floor.

"When you spot it arsenic like, however tin I adhd worth to idiosyncratic else? How tin I marque idiosyncratic other better? And you get large intent and meaning from that, you know, I deliberation it makes america amended people, but I besides deliberation it makes america a amended hoops squad too," Close said.

Close said she had galore locals scope retired to her passim past twelvemonth successful thanks, arsenic watching oregon going to a Bruins crippled made them hide astir their harsh caller realities from the fires. She said the emotion was really capable to instrumentality unit disconnected the players to execute arsenic they combat for a nationalist title.

"Whenever you consciousness pressure, you've astir apt forgotten your why. And truthful radical don't pain up from things due to the fact that they're doing excessively much. They pain retired due to the fact that they suffer way of their why. And so, actually, it was astir apt 1 of the champion things that could person happened to america from a unit standpoint, due to the fact that you're ever knowing that idiosyncratic other is dealing with worldly a full batch harder than you're dealing with the hoops game," Close said.

Head Coach Cori Close of the UCLA Bruins celebrates aft a crippled against the LSU Lady Tigers successful the Elite Eight circular of the 2025 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament held astatine Spokane Arena connected March 30, 2025 successful Spokane, Washington. (Tyler McFarland/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

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"I conscionable go, you cognize what? We get to beryllium an inspiration to others. We get to bring joyousness to idiosyncratic else. We get to bring a container of apparel to a idiosyncratic who was doing their documentary connected america that mislaid her house. We get to bring her a large duffel container of clothes. We got to beryllium a portion of that."

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