Make California Post a Preferred Source ROSEMONT, Ill. – Cori Close won’t bolt for another college job, she promises.
After guiding the UCLA women’s basketball team to its first national championship last spring, Close signed a new contract that included a buyout reduced by 25% if she took a head coaching position in the WNBA.
UCLA women’s basketball coach Cori Close has hired an executive coach to help her with her workload at the college level. That means that should Close leave UCLA before March 1, 2027, to take a WNBA job, her buyout would be $1.5 million instead of $2 million. A similar discount would be in effect for every subsequent season through the end of a contract that runs through March 31, 2030.
On Wednesday, with the Bruins less than a month away from their season opener, Close told the California Post that her tipping point for a departure from the college game included her ability to be a good daughter and a good friend as well as maintaining her health.
“Honestly, I haven’t been doing that and I am determined to do so,” said Close, who signed a four-year, $8.0375-million contract extension in May. “But I think that if I wasn’t able to find the right balance in college, that probably would be my next step, in the WNBA.”
Close, who turned 55 in July, acknowledged the potential benefits of a pro coaching job.
“There’s no recruiting, no fundraising – you know, some of those things that I need to do [at UCLA],” Close said. “But I’m a person of faith – God gave me this job, and he’s gonna let me know when it’s time to not have it.”
Entering her 17th season at UCLA, where she’s the program’s all-time leader with 358 victories, Close openly discussed the potential for burnout. She said she recently hired an executive coach to help manage her massive workload.
Cori Close, head coach of the UCLA Bruins women’s basketball team, and the UCLA women’s basketball team celebrate their championship win during a celebration at Pauley Pavilion, Wednesday, April 9, 2026. Jan Kim Lim/UCLA Athletics “That’s been really helpful,” Close said. “But I think I still am a work in progress in that way.”
Another ally in Close’s pursuit of an acceptable work-life balance has been UCLA chancellor Julio Frenk, who recently called to check in on how she was doing.
“Like, how many chancellors do that with their women’s basketball coach?” Close asked. “I think that I really feel supported in our administration. I still think we’re working in this new landscape to figure out how to have sustainable excellence in a more balanced fashion, but we’re definitely going in the right direction.”
A fierce advocate for women’s basketball, Close has championed solutions to improve the game. She said she’s interested in seeing how the Protect College Sports Act – should it pass the U.S. House of Representatives – might be able to further enhance college sports.
“We absolutely need to have a one-time transfer rule,” Close said. “I think we need competitive equity and transparency in how we do NIL. We need boundaries in a situation where we actually have true accountability to what NIL was purposed and intended for originally. So we got some work to do. But I do think we’re making some steps in the right direction.”
On the plus side, Close said she has recharged a bit since her team established itself as the best in program history.
“I did go to Cabo in June, and I went to Hawaii in August,” Close said. “So I have had some pockets. But it has been the busiest seven months of my life. But who’s complaining? I’ve had a lot of really sweet things I’ve been able to experience.”
