PHOENIX — A few years ago, when the gender disparity between the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments was on full display, a group of the most prominent voices in women’s basketball started holding weekly calls about how to push their sport forward.
Among those on the calls were South Carolina’s Dawn Staley and UConn’s Geno Auriemma, two of the biggest names in women’s basketball (their recent drama, aside). Then-Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer — their fellow Naismith Hall of Famer — participated, too.
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“I don’t know why I was on the call(s),” UCLA coach Cori Close joked Saturday. “But they just let me.”
Close, the 54-year-old who learned under John Wooden and has dedicated her life to women’s basketball, has undoubtedly become one of the sport’s most consistent advocates. She routinely speaks up and speaks out about growing the game, and takes seriously her role in promoting it.
The only thing separating her from the sport’s highest tier — the only thing missing from her resume — is a national championship.
But on Sunday afternoon in Phoenix, when the Bruins take on Staley’s Gamecocks, Close will have the chance to take home the sport’s grandest prize. And should the Bruins win, she’d solidify both herself and her program as two of the very best in this era of the sport.
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“It would mean everything,” star center Lauren Betts said of delivering Close a title. “Not just for her, but for our entire program. To be here is amazing, but we don’t just want to end here. We want to make sure we finish the season off the right way.
“This is a huge opportunity for us.”
The Bruins had their chance last season as the top overall seed in the tournament.
They won 34 games for the best mark in program history and collected statement wins against South Carolina and USC that made it clear they had arrived on the sport’s biggest stage.
But in the program’s first Final Four berth of the NCAA era, the Bruins folded against UConn in Tampa and lost in blowout fashion, 85-51. Betts had more than half of UCLA’s points on a night when no one else could get anything going for UCLA. The Huskies’ trio of Sarah Strong, Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers dominated from start to finish. Considering the lopsided score, questions arose about UCLA: Maybe the Bruins weren’t quite ready to take that next step after all.
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This year feels different.
“I definitely think last year felt like … we were reacting to everything, not anticipating,” Close said of the experience. “Whereas now that we have been a part of this, it just was a totally different planning experience. I just felt like we were able to be more strategic in how we put our players in position to be successful.”
The Bruins won the program’s first Final Four game in the NCAA era on Friday night when they grinded out an ugly 51-44 win against Texas. Betts led the way offensively with 16 points, but it was the Bruins’ defense against Longhorns star Madison Booker (who finished 3-of-23 from the field) that really carried them.
When Close went into the locker room following the win, she noted that there was no jumping around, no celebrating from her players, who have spoken repeatedly this week about their business-like approach.
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The fun will potentially be saved for Sunday, when a win against South Carolina would deliver UCLA its first national title in men’s or women’s basketball in 30-plus years and the first for the women’s program in the NCAA era.
“We really believe that the job wasn’t done yet,” Close said. “We want to have a chance to compete for a national championship. We want to do that at the highest of levels.”
Asked if she’d thought about her legacy at UCLA, Close said “not for a second” Saturday afternoon.
But if UCLA pulls this off, that conversation around her will be inevitable.
“To have that opportunity (to win a title) would be really spectacular,” Close said, “because it gives me the opportunity to thank and connect to the UCLA village that has buoyed us, helped us, supported us, been incredibly enthusiastic supporters.
“The chance to connect that with them would be an honor.”
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
UCLA Bruins, Women’s College Basketball
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