There is a certain charm to the way Cori Close conducts herself. Whether it's the clasped hands when being spoken to, the instinctive tendency to lean over the table when speaking, or the calm gaze betrayed instantly by the lively coach-speak that bursts out when the conversation touches on her vision of the future, the first-year coach of the UCLA women's basketball team is, as senior guard Rebekah Gardner would say, "personable."
"We know that this year, it's a lot different with the coaching change," Gardner said. "But we've just got on board and gained a really good relationship with Coach."
Indeed, as if taking over for a successful coach in Nikki Caldwell weren't challenging enough, Close has taken charge of a team plagued by a wave of injuries during the offseason, most notable of which is the ruptured Achilles tendon of senior forward Jasmine Dixon, who will likely miss the season.
But if there's one thing that can be said for the Bruin coach, it's that adversity hasn't done much to temper her demeanor, even when the number of available bodies thus far in practice has ranged anywhere from five to nine.
"There's one way we're going to win: We're going to get more possessions than our opponents, and we're going to be more versatile," Close said. "And my thing is, if you bring your strengths every day, we have enough.The reality that we have to face is that there's not one player on our team who is playing a role she's played before."
That predicament resounds particularly well for Gardner, the sole active senior for the Bruins. Last season, the lanky sharp-shooting guard was essentially the sixth-man sparkplug. This time around, Close has called upon Gardner to become the primary scorer and vocal leader.
"It's different," Gardner said of her responsibilities this season. "But each year that I've been here, I've had to take on a new role. Each year, I've stepped in and taken on that role to the best of my ability, and I plan on doing the same this year."
The obstacles are certainly many for the Bruins in their attempt to vault back into the NCAA Tournament. But Close and her team remain determined as ever, slowly but surely learning to adopt and embrace a fighter's mentality.
"We had our best and hardest practice of the year the other day, and Mariah Williams asked me, 'Why, Coach, did you think it was our best practice?'" Close said. "And I told her, 'Because you had about six different forms of severe adversity thrown at you, and never once did you hang your head, and you had the best reps of the day at the end of practice, when you were most fatigued.'
"That was a huge step for us, but now we have to string those days together until that becomes the identity of our team. We haven't arrived yet, but we'll get there."
