UCLA (1993-95) Close was assistant on the Bruin coaching staff in for the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons, where she established a mentorship relationship with coach emeritus
John Wooden. Close said that the bond started because she shared the same first name spelling as Wooden's great-granddaughter.
UC Santa Barbara Cori became an assistant coach at her alma mater in 1995.
Florida State In May 2004, Close became associate head coach at
Florida State under head coach
Sue Semrau. The Seminoles made the NCAA Tournament in each of Close’s seven seasons on the staff in Tallahassee, including the program’s first appearances in the Sweet Sixteen (2007) and Elite Eight (2010).
UCLA (2011-present) On April 21, 2011, Close was named head coach at UCLA. She led the Bruins to their first Final Four of the
NCAA tournament in
2025, after taking them to the Sweet Sixteen six times, advancing to the regional final once in
2018. In the
2026 NCAA national championship game, the Bruins defeated
South Carolina 79–51 for the program's first NCAA title.
Leather pants Close explained the superstition around her wearing leather pants on gameday was started by strength coach Ash Samaniego in Paris, France, before the
2024-25 season opener. Close said she is undefeated when wearing the pants since the Bruins beat Louisville in that 2024 game. She did not wear the pants in the 2026 NCAA semifinal against Texas. Although not superstitious herself, she stated in the pregame interview that enough people commented that she felt she needed to wear them for the 2026 National Championship game. == Head coaching record ==