LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� It鈥檚 an hour before tipoff and Patti Close takes her usual seat near the UCLA bench. Mother Bruin is in the house, ready to cheer on the team coached by her daughter, .
That reassuring presence is felt whenever the players take the floor.
The next game is Saturday, when the overall (31-1) open March Madness against 16th-seeded (23-10) at Pauley Pavilion.
鈥淪he鈥檚 like the mayor,鈥� Cori Close said.
Patti Close鈥檚 spirited attitude and energy belie her 80 years. She drives herself to games, arriving an hour before tipoff. Once, when Cori Close was an assistant at Florida State, she noticed her mother was late.
鈥淪he told me, 鈥楧on鈥檛 you ever do that again,鈥欌�� Patti Close recalled.
Cori Close says, 鈥淚 just need to know she鈥檚 safe.鈥�
At halftime, a steady stream of people stop by her mother鈥檚 seat to visit.
Post-game finds Patti Close in the interview room 鈥渢o hear the straight scoop,鈥� she said.
Before Patti Close鈥檚 marriage of 53 years ended with the death of her husband, Don, a few years ago, the couple attended games together. Being directly involved with the team helps fill the void.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 a gift to me, for our team to be so kind to my mom, to give purpose for my mom,鈥� Cori Close said.
UCLA men鈥檚 coach Mick Cronin keeps his widower father close, too. Hep Cronin spends part of the season in California to follow the team and escape the cold weather back home in Ohio.
Close ties through basketball
Since Cori Close got the UCLA job in 2011, her mother has accompanied the team to Europe and Africa.
鈥淚 never even had a passport,鈥� Patti Close said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a dream. I love the kids. I always joke that I fall in love with them and they have the nerve to leave and graduate. How dare they.鈥�
Spending time around the team keeps her young and current, too.
鈥淢y husband had this expression: you鈥檙e never too old to be immature,鈥� she said.
Cori Close also had her two sisters, an aunt and two cousins at last year鈥檚 NCAA Tournament, when the Bruins made their first Final Four and lost to eventual national champion UConn in the semifinals.
鈥淥ur family has not been together this much in probably over a decade,” she said, 鈥漚nd so it鈥檚 really a privilege that I could use my job to be able to experience that.”
Hangin鈥� at coach鈥檚
The players are regular visitors to Cori Close鈥檚 upscale house near the Westwood campus. They鈥檒l cook and watch movies together.
鈥淐ori always says the team that is connected off the court is going to be more connected on the court,鈥� Patti Close said.
She often bunks at her daughter鈥檚 place on game nights rather than travel 30 minutes to her own five-bedroom house in the San Fernando Valley, where she gardens and walks a mile after dinner.
After games, mother and daughter share what Cori Close calls 鈥渁fterglow.鈥� She鈥檒l pour a glass of wine for herself while her mother reviews the box score and rehashes the media session.
鈥淚 usually joke that I鈥檓 placating her,鈥� Cori Close said, 鈥渂ut probably if I鈥檓 really honest, it鈥檚 sort of a safety net for me, too.鈥�
When the time comes, Patti Close could move onto her daughter鈥檚 property, which has room to accommodate a backyard cottage.
鈥淚鈥檓 not ready for Cori to be my boss,鈥� Patti Close said. “When you鈥檙e in your kids鈥� territory, it鈥檚 her bailiwick.鈥�
Recruiting future Bruins
The coach鈥檚 house is also the scene of dinners for recruits on official visits and their parents. Patti Close always arrives early and helps set up.
鈥淚 do my sales job and tell them that we will take care of their kid,鈥� she said, 鈥渨hich is the main thing I was interested in when Cori was being recruited.鈥�
Once, a recruit鈥檚 grandmother attended, and Patti Close made it a point to chat her up.
She reassured the father of Bruins senior guard that his daughter would be in good hands far from her home in Washington, D.C.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really cool to see the kind of family nature within the program,鈥� Kiki Rice said. 鈥淧atti is so supportive and always around, and she gets her friends involved, too.鈥�
Rice had shoulder surgery after last year鈥檚 Final Four. She received a gift basket with a handknitted blanket from Patti Close.
鈥淚t meant a lot to me,鈥� Rice said.
Patti Close was an interior designer for 35 years and she freely dispenses decorating tips to the team鈥檚 support staff.
Ridin鈥� solo
For all the emphasis Cori Close places on creating a tight-knit atmosphere among the team and staff, she doesn鈥檛 have a family of her own.
鈥淚 never thought that I would not be married,鈥� the 54-year-old coach said. 鈥淚t stinks that I feel like it鈥檚 easier for men to have it all than for women to have it all.鈥�
Close is comforted by her religious faith and a belief that coaching is a calling more than merely a job.
鈥淚f I feel like I have some loneliness in terms of being single when I didn鈥檛 plan on being single,鈥� she said. 鈥淎t least I really have so much peace about being in my purpose, and that鈥檚 what keeps me going.鈥�
Patti Close said her daughter always knew she wanted to be a coach because it combined the sport she loves with investing in young people鈥檚 lives.
Three of the five coaches on Close鈥檚 staff are men.
鈥淪he wants these young women to see there鈥檚 still good ones out there,鈥� Patti Close said. 鈥淎ll these guys, they鈥檙e just jewels.鈥�
Patti Close gets her grandmother fix from her youngest daughter鈥檚 children, who live in Colorado.
Butting heads
Cori Close was a talker from her youngest days and feisty in nature. Her well-read and politically-minded mother has her own opinions, too.
鈥淏asketball-wise, I have to be so confrontational and hold the bar so tightly that in my personal life I鈥檓 much more of a harmony person,鈥� the coach said. 鈥滻 want everybody to feel safe, seen and heard.”
Patti Close, according to her daughter, is 鈥渁 borderline contrarian.鈥�
“We definitely butt heads on things,鈥� Cori Close said.
One thing they agree on is basketball.
Whether UCLA鈥檚 season ends with the Bruins hoisting the national championship trophy or losing a game for just the second time, it鈥檚 going to be hard on Patti Close.
鈥淚 pretend that they need me,鈥� she said, laughing. 鈥淒on鈥檛 tell them.鈥�
___
AP March Madness bracket: and coverage:
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
