SACRAMENTO, Calif. — UCLA women’s basketball is experiencing its most triumphant phase since the NCAA era commenced in 1982. However, the coach of the Bruins, Cori Close, stated on Thursday that achievement in university athletics brings a draining rhythm for trainers.
“I have never felt such fatigue as I have over the past couple of years, and it’s caused me to ponder how much longer I can continue this endeavor,” commented Close, whose top-seeded Bruins are set to confront the fourth-seeded Minnesota team in the Sacramento 2 Regional semifinals Friday (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). “And I’m merely being forthright with you regarding that matter. There are numerous aspects that are more challenging, and we persistently forfeit exceptional individuals in both male and female divisions.
“Should there be one request I would make of our oversight committees and the NCAA and our leadership, it is to kindly establish frameworks and limits that foster the chance for enduring superiority and a manageable rhythm. Conversely, we will persistently forfeit some of our premier trainers, and I believe our sport cannot bear such a loss.”
Close, aged 54, is currently in her fifteenth year at UCLA. In 1978, the Bruins claimed the AIAW national title, but the previous year marked the initial occasion they reached the NCAA women’s Final Four, being defeated in the national semifinals by UConn.
The Bruins have progressed to no less than the regional semifinals for four consecutive years presently. UCLA experienced an analogous sequence between 2016 and 2019, achieving the Sweet 16 on three occasions and the Elite Eight a single time.
However, given the transfer mechanism and competitors’ current capacity to capitalize on Name, Image, and Likeness prospects, the environment is wholly distinct presently compared to how it stood between 2016 and 2019.
Close is a former president of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and additionally participated in the Kaplan report which was mandated by the NCAA during 2021 subsequent to disparities between the male and female competitions being openly revealed within the COVID-19 “safe zones” in Indianapolis and San Antonio.
Close mentioned she completely endorses the modifications within collegiate athletics, yet believes greater supervision is requisite.
“Ought everyone possess the faculty to transfer once? Indeed … yet following that, what adaptations are feasible?” Close inquired. “I am a fervent proponent of NIL; it ought to have materialized two decades prior. [However] we require limits, we demand frameworks, we necessitate fair rivalry, we require lucidity. What part do I play in assisting that? I am currently unaware, but I desire to contribute to resolutions.”
Concurrently, coach Dawn Plitzuweit has returned Minnesota to the Sweet 16 for the inaugural time subsequent to 2005. She has, nevertheless, participated at this tier of the competition more lately, directing the then-tenth-seeded South Dakota squad to the 2022 Sweet 16. Plitzuweit served with South Dakota from the Summit League for a duration of six years, subsequently dedicating a single season at West Virginia prior to assuming leadership at Minnesota in 2023.
“I believe it is considerably more arduous for a mid-major institution to achieve this now than it was four years prior,” Plitzuweit remarked concerning reaching the Sweet 16. “I would similarly assert that it might also be more difficult now for the [Power 4] conferences to accomplish it than it was four years ago. It is exceedingly arduous. There exist a multitude of novel elements one must manage continually.”
Close mentioned that this applies to managers alongside trainers.
“There are simply a considerably greater number of tasks one must undertake,” she noted. “One must garner sufficient funds to secure the NIL allocation necessary to draw in the most skilled athletes. One is obligated to contend with external disturbances.
“It is more formidable than ever to serve as an administrator and assist your squads towards superiority. Numerous factors are straining the available assets.”