Women's Fastbreak On SI

Cori Close Details the Leadership Standard Shaping UCLA and Team USA

UCLA head coach Cori Close spoke with Women's Fastbreak On SI about several pertinent topics within women's basketball.
Grant Young|
Apr 3, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Cori Close during press conference at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Apr 3, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Cori Close during press conference at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Despite being in the thick of a regular season, the No. 4-ranked UCLA Bruins women's basketball coach, Cori Close, is taking time out of her busy schedule to make a major impact on Los Angeles' community.

The reigning national coach of the year has partnered with Wescom Financial and ForgiveCo to support the Wescom Foundation’s wildfire relief initiative, which is forgiving $10 million worth of debt for individuals and families that were impacted by the wildfires in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades, which took place one year ago, on January 7, 2025.

Before her team's past two home games, Close has met with some of the debt relief recipients and heard their stories about how they were impacted by the wildfires, thus continuing to make her impact felt.

Coach Close spoke with Grant Young of Women's Fastbreak On SI to discuss this Wescom Financial partnership, and also discussed several topics within the women's basketball world.

Can you speak about what this initiative means to you, and why it’s important to do this partnership now, even in the middle of such a busy season?

CC: You know, you should never be too busy to do the right thing, right? And this one was undeniable for me. Some of our most treasured supporters of our program lost their homes. We were actually on a plane on the way back from a game at Purdue with one of the families who lost their home in the fire. They got off the plane, and it was confirmed, and we were with them, and we just hugged them, experiencing that moment with them.

We had to relocate for a game, and another family who lost their home in the ride rode with us. They said, "This is the happiest two hours of our week. It brings us hope. It’s the only time we’re not thinking about our loss." One of the leaders of a documentary that was being filmed on our team last year, Kelsey Trainer, lost her home. We had the privilege of bringing her a bag of clothes, her only clothes, she lost her home in the fire. It’s story after story after story of pain and loss.

UCLA coach Cori Close poses with families impacted by the wildfires in Southern California in 2025.
UCLA coach Cori Close poses with families impacted by the wildfires in Southern California in 2025. | Wescom Financial

They’re providing multi-year debt relief, up to $10 million, with no strings attached. People didn’t even have to apply. Wescom had to call, email, and text the families just to convince them it wasn’t a scam... There were no "ifs." That says so much about their principled leadership, and what they're trying to do to make a difference in the community. And when I get to play even a very small part in partnering with them, it’s an absolute joy and privilege.

I know you’ve met with some of the families impacted during recent home games. How have those conversations shaped how you’ve spotlighted this initiative publicly?

CC: Absolutely. Great question. I remember before our USC game, my day is packed minute-to-minute. I walked into the room at 3:45 to meet these families and just looked in the eyes of these incredible families. I heard their stories — of pain, but also triumph and hope — and it honestly chokes me up even now.

I thought to myself, "Who cares about a basketball game?"

After the game, we brought them into the locker room. And they got to meet our team, and be a part of the celebration with us. And I realized they were giving us far more than we were giving them. Their optimism and hope in the midst of devastation was incredible, it was inspiring. On top of that, my mom grew up in Altadena, and one family’s home was two blocks from where she grew up. It really hits home for me.

These moments in life remind us what it's all about. We all get busy. We all get self-absorbed, even with good intentions... Being with these families reminded me of what’s important... and it makes talking about this initiative very easy because I mean it deeply. And I'm proud to get to learn from these incredible families.

Now for a few basketball questions. After the Penn State game, Lauren Betts was asked about her time at Team USA training camp, and she spoke very highly of Aliyah Boston. A few days later, Aliyah was praising Lauren during the USC game broadcast. Just hearing Aliyah Boston speak so highly of Lauren, how do you think that impacts Lauren’s development?

CC: It’s really interesting because I actually didn’t even know Aliyah was one of Lauren’s heroes. I had the opportunity to coach Aliyah Boston with USA Basketball, and she has an incredible heart — not just as a player, but as a person.

When Lauren came back from camp, I asked her, "What was the highlight of the whole experience?" And I honestly thought she was going to say something about being the only college player invited, or that she held her own, or that the coaches told her she did well.

But that’s not what she said. She said it was a lunch conversation with Aliyah Boston. She talked about how impactful that moment was and how much she looked up to her growing up.

I give Aliyah so much credit. It would have been easy for her to just say, “Let the young one fend for herself.” But instead, she took the time to pour into Lauren. When I saw the clips of Aliyah talking about Lauren at halftime, it made me smile because I know how much that meant to Lauren. It has real power.

You want people at the top of their craft using their platform to reach down and help someone else. Aliyah is living that out. And Lauren is doing the same in her own way. After that Penn State game, a little girl came up to Lauren and said, "You saved my life," because of Lauren’s honesty about her mental health journey. Lauren just started crying. She was so touched.

And I told her, "Lauren, you’re living out what you received from Aliyah. You’re now passing it on." That’s what you want sports to be about.

You mentioned your Team USA coaching experience. You’ve coached players like Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark, Sonia Citron, and now Lauren is part of that pipeline. As this group grows toward the 2028 Olympics and beyond, do you have any sense of who will emerge as leaders?

Some leaders are born, and some are developed — and they don’t all look the same. Paige Bueckers, for example, has had charisma and influence since junior high. I’ve watched her grow, coached her with USA Basketball, and she has that “it” factor. But then you have someone like Sonia Citron, who barely says anything. Her influence comes from how she plays, how she prepares, how she competes.

Pressure makes diamonds. And they have to go through pressure situations at that level to reveal who will be the leaders of the team. On our team, Kiki Rice is a lot like Sonia. She does her work quietly, but her influence is powerful. Lauren is more fiery. Paige is more expressive. Caitlin Clark, too. But you need all of it. You need complementary styles to reach everyone.

My hope is that leadership won’t fall to just one or two people. I hope it’s shared — that everyone keeps the gold medal as the priority and shows up every day to add value.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask you about what happened after the Ohio State game, when you spoke about lacking media coverage. Looking back, what worries you more long-term — the lack of coverage itself, or the message it sends about what’s considered worth showing up for?

CC: That’s a great question. I don’t think I’ve heard it phrased that way. What worries me is that it can still happen. It reminds me we still have a long way to go.

After our USC game, I had the local news on. They showed men’s basketball, the NFL, the Lakers, old bowl game highlights — and never mentioned our team. That motivates me to keep pushing. What’s different now is that this isn’t a charity ask anymore. It’s a bad business decision not to cover women’s sports. The return on investment is there.

I’m watching who responds. Right now, we’re begging for coverage. But there will come a time when access matters — and people will remember who invested early. I want people to know the stories on this team: Charlisse Leger-Walker coming from New Zealand, Gabriela Jaquez and her family, Kiki Rice, all of it.

The media is doing a disservice — not just morally, but financially — by ignoring these stories. And that’s what I’ll keep pushing on.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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