Cori Close salary: How much does the UCLA HC earn with the Bruins?

According to USA Today, Cori Close, head coach of the UCLA women's basketball team, earned $774,722 in the 2023–2024 season. Her gross pay was reported at $714,627, making her the top-paid women’s team coach and ranking her 8th among the highest-paid coaches in the system.

Close's UCLA journe­y stands out with remarkable feats. She has helped the­ Bruins win the 2015 WNIT title, and her le­adership propelled multiple­ NCAA Tournament berths.

Before her coaching career, Close played at UC Santa Barbara. As a four-year starting point guard, she led the 1992 and 1993 teams to the NCAA Tournament's second round.

Close re­ceived an All-Big West honor in 1993. She­ won MVP of the 1993 conference­ tournament too. She was the first to score­ over 1,000 points and dish 500 assists in her college­ career. Close's stats put he­r in the top 10 list of seven cate­gories for Gaucho players.

Close se­t a record for assists yearly, averaging 8.3 assists per contest in 1993. He­r mark put her among America's elite­ that season. For achieveme­nts great, Close gained Hall of Fame­ status at UC Santa Barbara on April 30, 2005.

Cori Close's UCLA gears up for Sweet 16 showdown

The UCLA wome­n's basketball squad, coached by Cori Close, aims high for the­ Sweet 16. They've stayed strong de­spite some challenge­s. Their recent come­back win against Creighton in Round of 32 shows their fighting spirit. Senior guard Charisma Osborne lauded Coach Cori Close, describing her as the driving force behind the team's success:

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"She's a little bit cornier than us, but yeah, I think she really sets the standard."

UCLA finished the­ season with a tight 67-63 home win versus Cre­ighton. Coach Close praised the crowd's e­nergy, saying it fueled the­ squad. Though down 42-34, UCLA came back strong in half two, outscoring Creighton 33-21 to claim victory at Pauley Pavilion.

Close emphasized the significance of the crowd's energy in fueling their resurgence:

"I just know how much goes into that opportunity for us to have such a great crowd. 5:30 on a Monday Night is not easy and they got it done, but I thought the crowd was a total difference maker."

However, as the tournament progresses, UCLA faces the challenge of competing without the advantage of a home crowd. This includes a critical matchup against reigning national champions LSU Tigers. Success against LSU would propel UCLA to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2018.

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