UCLA Coach Cori Close’s Mom Patti Dubbed “Mother Bruin” by Team
Cori Close has led UCLA women’s basketball since 2011. She has built a consistently competitive program over more than a decade.
Coaching career and major achievements
Close spent seven seasons as associate head coach at Florida State. She helped the Seminoles become nationally recognized there.
She previously served on UCLA’s staff in 1994 and 1995. As a player, she captained UC Santa Barbara in 1992 and 1993.
Close led the Gauchos to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances as a player. The 2024-25 season marked a career peak for her at UCLA.
That season included the program’s first Final Four appearance and a Big Ten Tournament championship. She also swept the four major national Coach of the Year awards: Associated Press, Naismith, USBWA, and WBCA.
Close has spoken openly about the pressures of modern college coaching. She told The Sporting Tribune she has considered the WNBA but stayed for her players.
She credits her coaching outlook to early soccer experiences organized by her father. She told USA Today that his youth soccer program shaped how she builds teams.
Family and personal influences
Don Close
Don Close played college football and later coached at Milpitas High School. He taught health and psychology for roughly three decades.
He ran a youth soccer program that emphasized lessons and community. Former players remained connected and attended his memorial service.
Don died in 2021 in Chatsworth after battling vascular dementia.
Patti Close
Fans and reporters often call her UCLA Coach Cori Close’s Mom Patti Dubbed “Mother Bruin” by Team. Patti is a fixture at UCLA women’s basketball games.
Since Cori became head coach, Patti has traveled with the team to Europe and Africa. She told the Associated Press she once had no passport.
Patti’s involvement increased after her husband’s 2021 death. The couple had attended games together during their 53 years of marriage.
At age 80, Patti drives herself to games and arrives an hour before tipoff. She visits the interview room after games and reviews box scores with Cori.
She attends recruit dinners at Cori’s home and speaks with incoming players’ families. Patti often stays at Cori’s house instead of driving back to the San Fernando Valley.
After games, the mother and daughter share what Cori calls “afterglow.” Cori pours a glass of wine while Patti rehashes the media session.
Broader family
Don and Patti raised three daughters: Cori, Amity, and Adell. The family has remained close through coaching milestones and loss.
Filmogaz.com compiled these details from public interviews and game coverage. The information reflects interviews and reporting from 2021 through 2024.
