TAMPA, Florida (April 3, 2025) — UCLA head coach Cori Close has been named the 2025 WBCA NCAA Division I Coach of the Year, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced today. WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew presented Close with the Pat Summitt Trophy, named for the late legendary University of Tennessee coach, here earlier today.
“Cori Close has excelled as a student-athlete, assistant coach, head coach, USA Basketball coach, and president of the WBCA. She has given her time and talent to this game and the coaching profession for many years,” said WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew. “Cori has demonstrated in many ways her love for her student-athletes and her coaching peers. The WBCA family of coaches is awarding Cori the WBCA Coach of the Year for her excellence in coaching her UCLA team this year. This is the ultimate compliment from her peers.”
The WBCA NCAA Division I Coach of the Year is selected by the WBCA NCAA Division I Awards Committee. This year’s finalists were:
| Name | School |
| Geno Auriemma | University of Connecticut |
| Kenny Brooks | University of Kentucky |
| Jason Burton | University of North Texas |
| Cori Close | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Lindsay Gottlieb | University of Southern California |
| Megan Griffith | Columbia University |
| Jacie Hoyt | Oklahoma State University |
| Wes Moore | North Carolina State University |
| Shea Ralph | Vanderbilt University |
| Vic Schaefer | University of Texas |
| Charmin Smith | University of California, Berkeley |
| Dawn Staley | University of South Carolina |
| Carly Thibault-Dudonis | Fairfield University |
| Ryun Williams | Colorado State University |
Visit WBCA.org to see a list of past recipients of the award.
About the WBCA
The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women’s and girls’ basketball at all levels of competition. Founded in 1981, the WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to the organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. Visit WBCA.org for more details about the association.
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