There’s nothing wrong with going out on top. After years of building towards a national title, the UCLA Bruins finally reached the mountaintop with an NCAA title earlier this year, the first in the program’s history.
Immediately after the title, the Bruins saw six players get taken in the WNBA Draft, dramatically altering what next year’s UCLA team will look like. The changes won’t just be coming on the floor either, longtime assistant coach Tasha Brown announced on Friday that she’s leaving the Bruins to join the Washington Huskies’ coaching staff.
UCLA will still see Brown yearly, as she’s joining a Big Ten Conference rival, but the move does shake up Cori Close’s bench. UCLA welcomed back another longtime assistant, Shannon LeBeauf, after LeBeauf spent one season with Rutgers.
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“It is hard to put into words just how much Tasha has meant to our program and to me personally,” Close said. “She has led with passion and character, and I am proud to have served next to someone with such an incredible heart and mind. She is leaving big shoes to fill, but we are so proud of Tasha for making an important decision and listening to her calling. We will miss her, and we will honor her eight years at UCLA by carrying on with elite preparation, mindfulness, and energy.”
Brown helped oversee the most successful stretch in program history, with UCLA setting single-season win records in back-to-back seasons, winning two-straight Big Ten Conference tournaments and earning a pair of Final Four berths, with one ending in a national championship.
While her time in Westwood may be over, diamonds live forever, so Brown will always have a reminder of her time with UCLA.
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This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Tasha Brown leaves Cori Close’s bench after eight seasons with UCLA
