Ep 2892 How Did Cori Close Build a Championship Culture at UCLA?

This podcast is part of the Sports Social Podcast Network.

From the 5th quarter studios in Madison, Wisconsin, you're listening to Coach Unplugged.

And now, your host, Steve Collins.

Coach, before we get into it, go to tchubes.com.

That's where I keep the resources that make coaching simpler, practice plans, culture

tools, player development frameworks, tchubes.com.

All right, I want to talk about one of the best coaching case studies in the country.

Corey Close, UCLA Women's Basketball, 15 Seasons, a blue blood name on the front of the

Jersey.

And now, a national championship, UCLA just won the 2026 NCAA title, beating South Carolina,

79 to 51.

And they didn't squeak by.

They dominated the game.

So today is not a while they're talented episode.

This is a coaching episode.

Because what Close did is what a lot of high school coaches are trying to do.

Take a program with tradition and modernize it, upgrade it, and get it to the next level.

Here are the three pillars that jumped out to me.

Number one, culture.

The broom and the shovel.

Close keeps a broom and a shovel in her office.

The broom is a reminder of servant leadership, whoever is closest to the broom sweeps.

The shovel is a reminder to dig below the surface and invest in people, not just players.

Coach, that is a high school lesson right there.

If your leadership is I'm the boss, you'll get compliance.

If your leadership is I serve, you'll get buy-in.

So here's the question for your staff.

What is your broom?

What is the thing you do that shows your players every day that you're with them?

Because culture isn't a speech, culture is a thousand small choices.

And Close built it with a growth mindset and gratitude.

But the real separator was the mind gym.

They even start by reminding players what they do right.

A quick highlight clip.

Then they go to work.

Every practice, they train the mental side on purpose.

They use routines to reset, to get back to neutral after mistakes.

To stay present, that's not fluff, that's modern coaching.

If you believe the mental game is 70%, you better train it more than 0%.

Pillar 2, recruiting and development.

At the college level, that's recruiting.

At the high school level, that's development and retention.

Close brought in elite talent, including Lauren Betts, the former number one recruit

who transferred to UCLA.

And she didn't just collect talent.

She developed it.

One detail I love.

When UCLA brought in that highly ranked freshman class, they played them.

Those freshman average 19 minutes a game as a class.

That's a development decision.

That's saying we're not building for one weekend.

We're building for years.

High school coaches, same idea.

If you always sit your younger kids, you are borrowing from next season to pay for this

season.

Find ways to give young players meaningful minutes, even if it's short, even if it's

in specific roles, because reps are a growth accelerator.

And the other piece was physical dominance.

This year's UCLA team was elite on the glass.

They built a team that could travel, defense travels, rebounding travels, poise travels.

Pillar 3, mentorship and a standard.

Close was mentored by John Wooden for years.

And she didn't copy him.

She adapted the best parts.

Wooden's core idea was simple.

New coach people, not just players.

That shows up in what Close talks about now.

Habits, who you become, who you impact, because banners hang and rings collect dust.

But habits stay.

And here's the sneaky leadership piece.

Close kept evolving.

Great coaches don't protect their ego.

They protect the standard.

They ask for feedback.

They invite truth tellers.

They own blind spots.

They apologize when they miss it.

Then they get back to work.

Now let's bring it home.

If you want to take one thing from this episode, take this.

Modern programs don't just practice basketball.

They practice response.

Response after a miss shot.

Response after a bad call.

Response after a turnover.

Response after a win.

Response after a loss.

So here's a simple mind gym you can steal for your high school team.

One, start practice with what went well.

Make kids name it.

Train their eyes to see good.

Just mistakes.

Two, teach a reset cue.

One word.

One breath.

One physical action.

We use next or neutral, whatever works.

But it has to be consistent.

Three, build a servant habit.

One thing your captains do daily.

Pick up cones.

Check on a teammate.

Think a manager.

Clean the locker room.

Broom work.

And then here's the final piece.

Remember April 4th.

On April 4th, 2015, close one UCLA's first WNIT title.

That was a proof of concept.

A sign the culture could win in March.

Fast forward.

April 5th, 2026.

National champions.

Coach, that's the long game.

That's program building.

So don't chase quick fixes.

Chase daily standards.

Chase habits.

Chase your broom and shovel work.

And if you want my templates for culture, leadership,

practice planning, and building a program that lasts,

go to tchubes.com.

Tchubes.com.