UCLA Women’s Basketball Coach Cori Close Honored by Regents

Cori Close, the UCLA women’s basketball coach, received a warm standing ovation from the University of California Board of Regents recently. The praise comes after she successfully led her team to a national championship, and discussions regarding a potential salary increase for her are on the table.

Close currently has a contract that pays her about $1.2 million a year. Last May, she signed a four-year contract featuring a base salary of $877,500, complemented by a performance bonus of $180,000.

The Regents are set to meet again to address “contract compensation parameters” for Close, a necessary step to facilitate higher salaries for coaches across the UC system. Interestingly, Close’s current contract is thought to be one of the most lucrative in the nation.

For context, while Close earned a significant amount last season, she’s still trailing behind coaches of other teams. For instance, Texas’ Vic Schaefer reportedly made $2.3 million, while Geno Auriemma of UW earned over $3.5 million. South Carolina’s Dawn Staley, at the top of the list, made more than $4 million, making her the highest-paid women’s college coach in the country.

It’s important to remember that Auriemma has achieved a remarkable 12 national titles, Staley has three titles and five Final Four appearances, and Schaefer has led his teams to the Final Four multiple times. But Close, with 15 seasons at UCLA under her belt, recently rose to elite status herself, steering the Bruins to back-to-back Final Fours and clinching their first NCAA title by toppling both Schaefer’s and Staley’s teams.

This past season, UCLA finished with a record of 37-1, marking both a record for the school and the longest winning streak, having won their last 31 games.

“I’m genuinely proud of Coach Close and the growth she’s fostered in these young women,” stated UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond. “While winning championships is vital, her character and focus on developing these players as individuals is what we take pride in. We’re lucky to have her leading our program.”

Close’s most recent contract extension followed their first-ever Final Four appearance. This four-year agreement extends through the 2028-29 season, setting her base salary at $877,500 annually and adding various bonuses based on hiring and retention metrics.

This season, Close’s team impressively hit 11 out of 11 performance bonuses, totaling $180,000 after their successful national championship game against South Carolina.

While preparing for discussions with the Regents, including Bob Myers, a former Golden State Warriors executive and member of UCLA’s men’s title team in 1995, Close and others celebrated the championship with hats inside the Luskin Center.

The UCLA President, Julio Frank, referred to the Bruins’ victory as one of the high points of his life, expressing gratitude for how the team has uplifted the community. “You really embody the human spirit,” he told Close.

Close echoed sentiments often shared by the team’s president of operations, Pam Walker. She emphasized that the character and values instilled in the players outweigh mere athletic success. “What truly matters is that they focused on becoming better individuals first, students second, and basketball players third,” she remarked.

In closing, she noted that she takes more pride in the fact that six players from her team graduated college, with three earning master’s degrees, than in setting a record for the most players drafted into the WNBA. The applause that followed her speech was a testament to the appreciation surrounding her achievements and the team’s journey. Perhaps there’s still more to achieve, and the future looks bright.