Cori Close has quietly revolutionized a flailing UCLA college program, and she finally has a National Championship to show for her efforts in returning the women’s basketball team to the big stage. That the victory came over the South Carolina Gamecocks makes it only sweeter, especially after the 2023 Sweet 16 defeat.

As Cori Close and her band of seniors scripted a historic first NCAA Tournament for UCLA, the Bruins’ core also exacted revenge for the 59-43 Sweet 16 defeat in 2023 to South Carolina.

ESPN caught up with an emotional and teary-eyed Close, who was celebrating the moment with her mother. Overwhelmed by the historic moment, Close highlighted what makes the win special for her.

Close said, “It’s immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine. It’s beyond my wildest dreams. And it’s meaningful because of the people I’ve gotten to share with. It’s all about the heart, and it would be shallow without an amazing village and incredible people that are important to me my whole life.”

Cori Close has consistently talked about the special bunch of players she is proud to be working with at UCLA, with the group of seniors even withdrawing from the WNBA Draft to extend their college basketball career in search of the program’s first-ever National Championship.

This group had come the closest, reaching the Sweet 16 all four years and facing defeat to a formidable UConn in the Final Four last year. UCLA stars Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez were part of the 2023 team that lost the Sweet 16 game to South Carolina, and the duo played their part in the 2026 Championship game, with 31 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists as the Bruins dismantled the Gamecocks, winning the game 79-51.

In the regular season, Cori Close did not shy away from the fact that she was coaching a bunch primed to make history while addressing the potential of becoming the college program to send the highest number of players to the WNBA in a single season.

That they would end up going after giving their alma mater and the Bruins faithful their first National Championship will only make for fonder memories, especially as they move on to play for different WNBA teams against each other.

Cori Close has always come across as a passionate head coach during her tenure at UCLA, and congratulations poured in for the 54-year-old from every corner, including this former college basketball icon.

Caitlin Clark congratulates Cori Close on a historic night for the UCLA Bruins

It is an insurmountable task for several programs to win the National Championship in college basketball. And who knows it better than former college basketball superstar and current WNBA icon Caitlin Clark? The 24-year-old had record-breaking seasons at Iowa but couldn’t lead the Hawkeyes past the final hurdle twice, losing to LSU in 2023 and South Carolina in 2024.

Clark congratulated Close with a post on the social media platform X after UCLA’s National Championship Final win over a South Carolina program that had prevented the Indiana Fever star from winning the NCAA Tournament with the Iowa Hawkeyes.

The 24-year-old tweeted, “Not many care about the game as much as Coach Close … couldn’t be happier for her!! Congrats @UCLAWBB.”

Cori Close has always been a huge advocate of Clark’s talent, dating back to their days together for USA Basketball when Clark was a youngster. The 54-year-old has publicly defended Clark several times, admitting that while the guard’s rise will spark debates, her rising stardom has contributed to the overall growth of women’s basketball and is healthy for the sport.

For a player as celebrated as Caitlin Clark, the 24-year-old has yet to get her hands on a National Championship. She finished as a runner-up twice with Iowa in college, and could only watch from the sidelines as the Indiana Fever failed to make the WNBA Finals. She won the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup with Indiana last year, but would love to go on and win the WNBA title.

As the college basketball season ends, the focus will now shift towards the upcoming WNBA season, and Caitlin Clark will hope she can finally add a major trophy to her already impressive resume. Who knows, maybe the 24-year-old could end up achieving it alongside one of the several UCLA seniors set to enter the WNBA Draft.