NCAA champion coach Cori Close pens extension with UCLA through 2030

Last month Cori Close led the UCLA Bruins to the program’s first-ever NCAA national title and this month the Bruins head coach penned a long-term extension to stick around Westwood for the long haul.

It’s not surprising news. Close has been UCLA’s head coach since 2011 and hasn’t expressed any interest in leaving the Bruins. The new extension will keep Close with UCLA through the 2029-2030 season, and according to the California Post’s Ben Bolch, the new deal will make her one of the highest paid coaches in the country.

“The UCLA women’s basketball coach has agreed to a new four-year contract that will nearly double her old deal while vaulting her into the top 10 college coaches in her sport in terms of average annual compensation, the California Post learned on Tuesday,” Bolch wrote. “Close’s new deal, which averages roughly $2 million a year in total compensation."

Close and the Bruins have set single-season win records in back-to-back seasons, turning UCLA into one of the premier teams in women’s college basketball. It will be interesting how the team fares without Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez, but Close has proven capable of landing talent in the transfer portal.

"I am so grateful to Chancellor Frenk and Martin Jarmond for the opportunity to continue teaching and mentoring the young women who choose UCLA," Close said in the university’s release. "I love being here in Westwood, and I am so excited for what the future holds. I would also like to say thank you to our coaches, student-athletes, support staff, alumni, fans and donors for their belief in our UNCOMMON mission. We would not be where we are today without their support and their commitment to our values. It fills me with such joy to share this with our village, and I hope we can continue to make our Bruin faithful proud."