TAMPA, Fla. — Cori Close still gets emotional when she thinks about coaching USA Basketball at the U19 FIBA World Cup in 2021, and it has nothing to do with the games.
There were two players — one that eventually became her own at UCLA — who carried her a bit through that tournament. UCLA star center Lauren Betts and UConn standout Azzi Fudd weren’t just her players. They were her rocks as she handled the loss of her father, who died while Close was at the World Cup.
Close gathered the team to tell them, and she remembers the circle of players sharing the grief she was navigating.
‘Their response to me was just tremendous,’ Close said Thursday during a media day ahead of the women’s NCAA Tournament Final Four. ‘Azzi, she just has incredible work ethic. She’s an elite player and she has a very tender heart. And I was the beneficiary of that on that trip, and I’ll be forever grateful.’
Close recruited both Fudd and Betts. Both turned her down coming out of high school, although Betts ended up transferring to UCLA after her freshman season. Now No. 1 seed UCLA (34-2) will face No. 2 seed UConn (35-3) in the Final Four at Amalie Arena on Friday (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Fudd said Close was one of her favorite coaches to be recruited by, and having her as a coach with USA Basketball was ‘incredible.’ It stuck with Fudd, the fact that Close chose to be with them and coach them that August even though her father was sick. It showed Fudd what kind of person Close was and the loyalty she had.
‘If there was something going on with us, I knew that she would be there for us,’ Fudd said Thursday. ‘I just wanted to make sure that she felt the love from us, because it’s not one-sided, it’s definitely a two-way street, having that player-coach relationship.’
When they won the championship at the U19 FIBA World Cup, Betts and Fudd went straight to Close.
‘This is for your dad,’ they told her. ‘We’re just so grateful for you still showing up for us.’
That experience created ‘a huge bond’ for Betts and Close, who still brings it up on occasion.
Even though it was only a month that they were together, Fudd felt like they were Close’s second family. She wanted Close to know they were there to support her and wanted to give her enough love to carry her through. They did everything they could to be there for Close.
‘Even though I wasn’t committed to her at the time, I still have a heart and I still understand how hard that moment was for her,’ Betts said. ‘For her to still be there as a coach and show up and do her job, I just felt, you know, so much love for her in that moment.’