UCLA rewards Cori Close with a 4-year contract extension after Bruins' run to national title
UCLA head coach Cori Close celebrates after cutting down the net after UCLA defeated South Carolina in the women's National Championship Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament game, April 5, 2026, in Phoenix. Credit: AP/Ross D. Franklin
LOS ANGELES — UCLA women's basketball coach Cori Close is getting rewarded after guiding the Bruins to a national title.
On Tuesday, the school announced a four-year contract extension that will keep Close in Westwood through the 2029-30 season.
“Winning a national championship is a tremendous achievement,” athletic director Martin Jarmond said in a statement, “but what truly stands out with Cori is the character, leadership and daily commitment she and her staff bring to developing student-athletes into the best versions of themselves.”
The Bruins routed South Carolina 79-51 last month to earn the program's first NCAA championship. They had a program-best 31-game winning streak, the school's first undefeated regular-season Big Ten championship and a second straight league tournament title. Last season, UCLA reached the Final Four for the first time in program history.
Close, 54, has a record of 358-144 in 15 seasons and is the only coach in program history to surpass 300 wins.
“I love being here in Westwood, and I am so excited for what the future holds,” she said in a statement.
The Bruins had a record six players chosen in the WNBA draft last month.
