Twenty-one years ago, in the spring of 1994, coach Cori Close, then the restricted-earnings coach for the UCLA women’s basketball team, was not prepared. She was dressed in sweats one Tuesday evening when Steve Lavin, her counterpart on the men’s basketball team, told her that she was coming with him to coach John Wooden’s apartment – he said she didn’t have a choice. Read more...
Photo: UCLA women’s basketball coach Cori Close first met John Wooden while working as a restricted-earnings coach for the Bruins. As she moved forward to be assistant coach for UCSB and finally head coach for UCLA, her relationship with Wooden influenced her approach to her job. (Erin Ng/Daily Bruin senior staff)