UCLA is not letting the coach who just delivered a national title go anywhere anytime soon. The school announced Tuesday that it has signed women's basketball coach Cori Close to a four-year contract extension, keeping the architect of the Bruins breakout season in Westwood through the 2029–30 campaign. The deal comes on the heels of a dominant spring in which Close guided UCLA to a 79–51 championship win over South Carolina in Phoenix. Athletic director Martin Jarmond framed the move as both a reward for on-court dominance and for Close's work shaping student-athletes beyond the box score.
Extension Keeps Close in Westwood Through 2029-30
In a press release via UCLA Athletics, the school said the four-year deal will keep Close under contract through the 2029–30 season. Jarmond praised her "character, leadership and daily commitment" to helping student-athletes become "the best versions of themselves," emphasizing that the extension is about culture as much as trophies. Close, for her part, said she was "so grateful" for the chance to keep teaching and mentoring the young women who choose UCLA. The release cast the agreement as a strategic play to capitalize on the program's current momentum rather than a simple victory lap.
Historic Season and On-Court Milestones
Close's Bruins tore through the schedule with a program-best 31-game winning streak and finished with 37 victories, capped by that 79–51 title-game rout of South Carolina on April 5 in Phoenix, as reported by ESPN. The team also went 18-0 in Big Ten play and secured a second straight conference tournament crown, per the Big Ten Conference. For a program that had long been chasing the sport's biggest prize, the run marked an unprecedented stretch of control over both the league and the national stage.
Bruins Flood the WNBA Draft
Just over a week after cutting down the nets, UCLA showed up again in the pro ranks. Six Bruins were selected in the WNBA draft, including five first-rounders, according to NCAA.com. The Los Angeles Times noted that the first round was headlined by Lauren Betts at No. 4 overall, a snapshot of how Close's roster-building translated into professional shots. The draft haul served as a tidy epilogue to a season in which UCLA turned its depth into results on the court and opportunity after it.
Close's Record and Accolades
Across 15 seasons in Westwood, Close has compiled a 358-144 record and is the only coach in program history to surpass 300 wins, the athletic department said in its announcement via UCLA Athletics. She was named Big Ten Coach of the Year for 2025-26 and has collected multiple national coach of the year honors in recent seasons, accolades the school highlighted when unveiling the new deal. The release also pointed to work in the classroom, noting that the roster posted a program-high team GPA during winter quarter.
Why the Extension Matters
The contract gives UCLA a rare commodity in the current college basketball climate: stability. With the transfer portal and NIL deals reshaping how rosters are built, recruits and their families now get a clearer picture of who will be running the show. As explained by CBS Sports, Close has leveraged the Los Angeles NIL market and a targeted transfer approach into a veteran, pro-ready lineup. Locking her in through 2029-30 cuts down on uncertainty for recruits and donors as UCLA tries to keep its title window wedged wide open.
With Close secured, the Bruins head into the offseason with championship validation and a straightforward mission to defend their crown. They finished the season ranked No. 1 in the final AP Top 25 poll, as reported by The Associated Press, a fitting final line on a season that made extending their head coach feel less like a choice and more like a formality.
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