Exclusive | UCLAs Cori Close hasnt shut door on WNBA after winning national title

ROSEMONT, Ill.– Cori Close won’t bolt for another college job, she promises.The WNBA?That remains to be seen.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.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.“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 chancello...