The story of Cori Close's enduring relationship with legendary coach John Wooden, and how his mentorship shaped her journey to becoming the winningest women's coach in UCLA history.
She was a kid. He was a legend. She was an assistant coach in her first college job. He was the greatest coach in college basketball history. She was 22. He was 83. When she was ushered into his Encino condo for the first time, she was so nervous, she couldn’t even pronounce her name. “Who is this?” asked John Wooden , pointing to where she was standing behind several other visiting coaches. “I’m Co-o-o-ri,” responded Cori Close , drawing out the simple introduction to 10 syllables.
“How do you spell that?” said Wooden. She spelled it, and he smiled, and invited her into his den to inspect a tiny stool adorned with the same name. “Cori, that’s my great-granddaughter’s name,” he said. “You’re the first person I’ve ever met who also spells it like that.” A sigh filled the room. The jitters were gone. The connection had been made. From that moment, John Wooden treated Cori Close like, well, a great-granddaughter. Every other Tuesday for several years, they would meet. Even after Close moved across the country, they continued to meet. Right up until Wooden died in 2010, they were in consistent contact. Wooden would teach. Close would listen. Wooden would host her for breakfast at the VIP’s Cafe. Close would surprise him at his condo with his favorite lemon custard ice cream from Baskin-Robbins. For 17 years, they talked basketball without ever really talking basketball. For 17 years, Wooden hoisted Close on a climb through her own personal pyramid of success, first as a UCLA assistant, then UC Santa Barbara assistant, then a Florida State assistant. A year after Wooden’s death, Close became head coach at UCLA. Wooden never saw it, but he always knew it, and in many ways he helped create it. And so it was that after she recently became the winningest women’s coach in UCLA history, Cori Close visited John Wooden’s statue and offered a prayer of thanks. “It’s ridiculous how lucky I am to be able to walk in that legacy,” she sai
John Wooden Cori Close UCLA Basketball Mentorship
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