Cori Close: podcast appearances and interviews

Cori Rashel Close is an American basketball coach born on July 29, 1971. She is the head coach of the UCLA Bruins women's basketball team. Close 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. During her playing career, she helped her team reach consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. After completing her playing career, Close began coaching; she served as an assistant coach for UCLA from 1993 to 1995, at UC Santa Barbara from 1995 to 2004, and for the Florida State Seminoles from 2004 to 2011. In 2011, she was named the head coach of the UCLA women's basketball team. Under her leadership, the Bruins won the 2026 basketball championship, finishing with a 37–1 record and securing the program's first NCAA-era championship.