University of California - Los Angeles - UCLA Women's Basketball

Close was named head womens basketball coach at UCLA on April 21, 2011, and is currently 98-69 (.587) overall. She enters her sixth season at the helm of the Bruins program in 2016-17. Close was named the 2016 United States Marine Corps/WBCA NCAA Division I Region 5 Co-Coach of the Year (with Arizona States Charli Turner Thorne). Close guided the Bruins to a 26-9 overall record in 2015-16, including a third-place finish in the Pac-12 with a 14-4 record (the No. 1 conference in the country in RPI) and guided the Bruins to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1999. She led the Bruins to their first WNIT Championship in school history in UCLAs first-ever appearance in the postseason tournament with a 62-60 win over West Virginia in Charleston, W.Va., on April 4, 2015. It marked UCLAs first postseason title of any kind since winning the Pac-10 Tournament in 2006. This is the first head coaching assignment for Close, who has worked as associate head coach or assistant on teams that have advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 16 seasons, won at least 20 games in 16 of the previous 18 seasons and won or shared a total of 11 conference championships. Close, who served on the Bruin coaching staff in 1994 and 1995, returns to Westwood after spending seven seasons as associate head coach at Florida State University. Considered one of the top offensive minds in the game, Close helped guide the Seminoles into a nationally-recognized program in her time. FSU ranked among the nations top 30 teams in scoring, field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage her last two seasons. Florida State advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of coach Closes seasons in Tallahassee and won at least 20 games in all but one. Point guard play and offensive efficiency were strong points under Closes direction. FSU shot at least .418 from the field in each of the last seven seasons and hit over 37% of its three-point attempts the last two seasons, including a school-record 212 made three-point shots in 2010. In addition to her on-court tasks, Close was also instrumental in recruiting (she coached four first-team All-ACC Freshman team selections and five players selected in the WNBA draft while at FSU) while also working with the schools marketing department in their efforts to promote the program. In 2010-11, Florida State posted a 24-8 record, finished third in the Atlantic Coast Conference with an 11-3 mark, was ranked No. 20 in the final ESPN/USA Today poll and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after matching the programs best tournament seed ever at No. 3. The 2010 FSU squad captured a share of the ACC regular season championship, set a school record with 29 wins and advanced to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. Jacinta Monroe was selected in the first round of the WNBA draft, No. 6 overall, the highest of any FSU player. The 2009 Seminole squad also won a share of the conference regular season crown and earned the highest seed into the NCAA Tournament in school history, at the time, at No. 3. The 2008 FSU team earned its highest regular season ranking ever in the polls to that point in time, at No. 18. In 2007, Florida State advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history and earned its highest ranking to that point, at No. 19, in the seasons final national poll. In Closes initial season in Tallahassee, FSU posted its first 20-win campaign in 14 seasons. Close joined the FSU staff after serving nine seasons (1995-2004), the last three as associate head coach, at her alma mater, UC Santa Barbara, class of 1993. Some of her duties included overseeing skill development of the players, on-court offensive coaching, recruiting and scheduling. As UCSBs player development coordinator, Closes work led to such achievements as a 98 percent graduation rate, seven WNBA players, 15 professional players overseas, 12 Big West Conference MVPs, nine district All-Americans and one second-team All-American. Close was responsible for all offensive tactics, offensive instruction and game-time decisions which helped result in eight NCAA appearances, including three second round games and a trip to the Sweet 16, one NIT consolation championship and 10 Big West Conference regular season or tournament championships. The Gauchos landed three top-10 ranked recruiting classes during her tenure. Close was also instrumental in fostering support and increasing revenue streams for the UCSB basketball program. She developed and implemented a comprehensive marketing plan, designed fundraising initiatives, coordinated speaking, community service and radio/television appearances and created a Fastbreakers booster program. Her efforts were rewarded in the womens hoops program becoming the largest revenue producer in the department of athletics. She began her collegiate coaching career at UCLA while serving in the role of the restricted earnings coach on the first staff of then-new head coach Kathy Olivier in the 1994 and 1995 seasons. She earned her Masters Degree in educational administration during her time at the University. As a player, Close was a four-year starting point guard at UC Santa Barbara and captained the 1992 and 1993 teams which each advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. A native of Milpitas, CA, she was a 1993 first-team all-Big West selection and the MVP of the 1993 Conference Tournament. Close was the first player in school history to record more than 1,000 points and 500 assists for a career and ranked among the top 10 in seven Gaucho statistical categories. She averaged a school-record 8.3 assists per game in 1993 which was among the top 10 marks in the nation that season. On April 30, 2005, Close was inducted into the UC Santa Barbara Athletics Hall of Fame. Close's Year-by-Year Head Coaching Record Close's Year-by-Year Assistant/Assoc. Head Coaching Record Players Coached by Close in WNBA Draft WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT CORI CLOSE Sue Semrau - Florida State Head Coach (1998 - present) "Cori is one of the finest up-and-coming associate coaches in America. She has tremendous experience and everything you would want in a head coach. She has passion for her players, passion for the game, the university and the community. I can't think of anybody who would be a better fit for UCLA than Cori Close." Ann Meyers Drysdale - UCLA Hall of Famer and four-time All-American; current General Manager of the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury "Cori has always been close to the UCLA program, from her years working at UCSB and her relationship with Coach Wooden. I look forward to Cori continuing the ideal of being a Bruin, to doing your best and striving to bring a national championship back to UCLA." Mark French - (UC Santa Barbara head coach 1988-2008) "Cori has as good a grasp on what the total college experience is all about as any coach in the country. Anyone who comes to UCLA to play for her will get everything possible, the total package, that the university has to offer. Somewhere Coach Wooden is smiling today because I know that Cori kept in touch with him over the years." WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT CORI CLOSE Follow @CoachCloseUCLA Cori Close was named head womens basketball coach at UCLA on April 21, 2011, and is currently 98-69 (.587) overall. She enters her sixth season at the helm of the Bruins program in 2016-17. Close was named the 2016 United States Marine Corps/WBCA NCAA Division I Region 5 Co-Coach of the Year (with Arizona States Charli Turner Thorne). Close guided the Bruins to a 26-9 overall record in 2015-16, including a third-place finish in the Pac-12 with a 14-4 record (the No. 1 conference in the country in RPI) and guided the Bruins to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1999. She led the Bruins to their first WNIT Championship in school history in UCLAs first-ever appearance in the postseason tournament with a 62-60 win over West Virginia in Charleston, W.Va., on April 4, 2015. It marked UCLAs first postseason title of any kind since winning the Pac-10 Tournament in 2006. This is the first head coaching assignment for Close, who has worked as associate head coach or assistant on teams that have advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 16 seasons, won at least 20 games in 16 of the previous 18 seasons and won or shared a total of 11 conference championships. Close, who served on the Bruin coaching staff in 1994 and 1995, returns to Westwood after spending seven seasons as associate head coach at Florida State University. Considered one of the top offensive minds in the game, Close helped guide the Seminoles into a nationally-recognized program in her time. FSU ranked among the nations top 30 teams in scoring, field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage her last two seasons. Florida State advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of coach Closes seasons in Tallahassee and won at least 20 games in all but one. Point guard play and offensive efficiency were strong points under Closes direction. FSU shot at least .418 from the field in each of the last seven seasons and hit over 37% of its three-point attempts the last two seasons, including a school-record 212 made three-point shots in 2010. In addition to her on-court tasks, Close was also instrumental in recruiting (she coached four first-team All-ACC Freshman team selections and five players selected in the WNBA draft while at FSU) while also working with the schools marketing department in their efforts to promote the program. In 2010-11, Florida State posted a 24-8 record, finished third in the Atlantic Coast Conference with an 11-3 mark, was ranked No. 20 in the final ESPN/USA Today poll and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after matching the programs best tournament seed ever at No. 3. The 2010 FSU squad captured a share of the ACC regular season championship, set a school record with 29 wins and advanced to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. Jacinta Monroe was selected in the first round of the WNBA draft, No. 6 overall, the highest of any FSU player. The 2009 Seminole squad also won a share of the conference regular season crown and earned the highest seed into the NCAA Tournament in school history, at the time, at No. 3. The 2008 FSU team earned its highest regular season ranking ever in the polls to that point in time, at No. 18. In 2007, Florida State advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history and earned its highest ranking to that point, at No. 19, in the seasons final national poll. In Closes initial season in Tallahassee, FSU posted its first 20-win campaign in 14 seasons. Close joined the FSU staff after serving nine seasons (1995-2004), the last three as associate head coach, at her alma mater, UC Santa Barbara, class of 1993. Some of her duties included overseeing skill development of the players, on-court offensive coaching, recruiting and scheduling. As UCSBs player development coordinator, Closes work led to such achievements as a 98 percent graduation rate, seven WNBA players, 15 professional players overseas, 12 Big West Conference MVPs, nine district All-Americans and one second-team All-American. Close was responsible for all offensive tactics, offensive instruction and game-time decisions which helped result in eight NCAA appearances, including three second round games and a trip to the Sweet 16, one NIT consolation championship and 10 Big West Conference regular season or tournament championships. The Gauchos landed three top-10 ranked recruiting classes during her tenure. Close was also instrumental in fostering support and increasing revenue streams for the UCSB basketball program. She developed and implemented a comprehensive marketing plan, designed fundraising initiatives, coordinated speaking, community service and radio/television appearances and created a Fastbreakers booster program. Her efforts were rewarded in the womens hoops program becoming the largest revenue producer in the department of athletics. She began her collegiate coaching career at UCLA while serving in the role of the restricted earnings coach on the first staff of then-new head coach Kathy Olivier in the 1994 and 1995 seasons. She earned her Masters Degree in educational administration during her time at the University. As a player, Close was a four-year starting point guard at UC Santa Barbara and captained the 1992 and 1993 teams which each advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. A native of Milpitas, CA, she was a 1993 first-team all-Big West selection and the MVP of the 1993 Conference Tournament. Close was the first player in school history to record more than 1,000 points and 500 assists for a career and ranked among the top 10 in seven Gaucho statistical categories. She averaged a school-record 8.3 assists per game in 1993 which was among the top 10 marks in the nation that season. On April 30, 2005, Close was inducted into the UC Santa Barbara Athletics Hall of Fame. Close's Year-by-Year Head Coaching Record Close's Year-by-Year Assistant/Assoc. Head Coaching Record Players Coached by Close in WNBA Draft WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT CORI CLOSE Sue Semrau - Florida State Head Coach (1998 - present) "Cori is one of the finest up-and-coming associate coaches in America. She has tremendous experience and everything you would want in a head coach. She has passion for her players, passion for the game, the university and the community. I can't think of anybody who would be a better fit for UCLA than Cori Close." Ann Meyers Drysdale - UCLA Hall of Famer and four-time All-American; current General Manager of the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury "Cori has always been close to the UCLA program, from her years working at UCSB and her relationship with Coach Wooden. I look forward to Cori continuing the ideal of being a Bruin, to doing your best and striving to bring a national championship back to UCLA." Mark French - (UC Santa Barbara head coach 1988-2008) "Cori has as good a grasp on what the total college experience is all about as any coach in the country. Anyone who comes to UCLA to play for her will get everything possible, the total package, that the university has to offer. Somewhere Coach Wooden is smiling today because I know that Cori kept in touch with him over the years."

Perry was also an assistant at USC from 2000-04 and Iowa from 1999-2000. Perry helped bring in UCLA's first-ever No. 1-ranked recruiting class in 2014-15. The class included Recee' Caldwell, Jordin Canada, Monique Billings, Lajahna Drummer and Kelli Hayes. In 2015-16, the Bruins' recruiting class of Ashley Hearn and Kennedy Burke ranked 9th nationally. While at Duke, Perry helped bring in the No. 2 recruiting class in the nation in 2005, which included National High School Player of the Year Abby Waner. She also helped recruit the No. 3 recruiting class in the nation in 2007 with WBCA All-Americans Jasmine Thomas, Krystal Thomas and Karima Christmas, as well as the No. 5 class in 2008. Her duties on the Duke coaching staff included recruiting, practice instruction, scouting and coaching guards. Perry coached five All-Americans at Duke, including future WNBA players Waner, Lindsey Harding, Alison Bales, Monique Currie, and Chante Black. She coached in the NCAA Tournament all five years at Duke, with the Blue Devils advancing to the Championship game in 2006. Duke captured Atlantic Coast Conference regular season championships in 2005 and 2007. While at USC, Perry's responsibilities were national recruiting, practice instruction and academic liaison. She helped USC sign a Top 10 recruiting class in 2004. At Iowa, she was involved with daily practice instruction, coaching the post players, scouting, recruiting and monitoring academic progress of student-athletes. Perry graduated in 1998 from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and communication studies, where she graduated with honors. She was a four-year letterwinner at Iowa from 1995-98 and was regarded as the team's leading defensive player throughout that time. She led the Hawkeyes to the 1997 Big Ten Tournament title and 1996 and 1998 regular season titles. Her teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament her final three seasons and made a trip to the Sweet 16 in 1996. Additionally, she was a three-time All-Big Ten Academic selection and received the 1998 Robin Roberts/WBCA Sports Communication Scholarship award and the 1998 NCAA Womens Enhancement Post-Graduate Scholarship award. A Southern California native, Perry played basketball and volleyball at Cerritos HS. What They're Saying: Gail Goestenkors, former Duke head coach and current University of Texas head women's basketball coach "Shannon is a wonderful addition to the UCLA family. She is not only an excellent recruiter, but she has tremendous knowledge of the game. I have no doubt she will help land some of the best players in the country and help develop them to their fullest potential. Shannon is an incredibly warm and caring person who runs her life with great class and integrity, and she will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the UCLA program and community." Krystal Thomas, former Duke and WNBA player "Shannon will be an excellent fit for UCLA Women's Basketball. On the court, she is an excellent communicator. She uses her years of coaching and playing experience to relate to her players and the coaching staff. Her knowledge of both the guard and post positions makes her versatile on the staff. Off the court, Shannon has the amazing ability of impacting others. Her positive spirit and motivating nature are contagious. She is a perfect addition to the UCLA women's basketball staff."

Newnan helped bring in UCLA's first-ever No. 1-ranked recruiting class in 2014-15. The class included Recee' Caldwell, Jordin Canada, Monique Billings, Lajahna Drummer and Kelli Hayes. In 2015-16, the Bruins' recruiting class of Ashley Hearn and Kennedy Burke ranked 9th nationally. Prior to UCLA, Newnan has been a womens basketball assistant coach for eight seasons at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, Calif. The Warriors earned NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) national rankings and advanced to the NAIA Tournament in four of his last five seasons there. In 2009, Westmont posted a school record 22 wins and won at least 20 games in three of his last four seasons. From 2000-01, Newnan worked as an assistant womens basketball coach at Oregon State University. The Beavers entered post-season play (National Womens Invitation Tournament) for the first time in six seasons during that year and were led by the play of guard Felicia Ragland who was named the Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year in 2001. Ragland, who went on to be selected by the Seattle Storm in the 2002 WNBA draft, also earned District VIII Kodak All-America honors in both 2001 and 2002. Newnan, who was the Associate Head coach at UC Santa Barbara in 1999-2000, served as a Gauchos assistant from 1993-2000. The Gauchos captured six Big West conference titles during his tenure, set a school record with 30 wins in 2000 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000. A 1992 graduate of UCSB, Newnan embarked on his coaching career as a student assistant coach for the Gaucho womens team in 1990-93. He was then hired full-time the following season. During his years at UCSB, Newnan helped coach such future WNBA draft selections as Kayte Christensen, Erin Buescher and Stacy Clinesmith. What They're Saying: Stacy Clinesmith, former UCSB player and four-year WNBA player "What I remember most about Tony is that his energetic, excited style of coaching made you want to play even harder on the court. He teaches the game so well and explains everything so well. He helped me be a better player skill-wise and emotionally as well, helping instill a we-will-not-lose attitude. Tony definitely brought out the best of me. I would have done anything, including run through a wall, for him and the coaching staff." Kayte Christensen, former UCSB player, seven-year WNBA player, current ESPN men's and women's basketball reporter/analyst "One of the great things about Tony is that he's a really good teacher. He has a unique and creative way of breaking down things so that it makes sense to each individual. I loved when coaches got in my face and pushed me. You can sense his passion and see how much he loves what he's doing. I've been away from UCSB for years, but I still call him once a year and thank him for my experience. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do to help us grow both on and off the court. Collegiate coaches bring players in as 17-18 year olds and adopt them as surrogate children, and I definitely feel like I grew so much with his help. I could not have been in the WNBA for seven years without him." Mark French, former UCSB head coach "I consider Tony Newnan to be one of the brightest basketball minds in women's basketball. His contributions to the success of our program at UCSB were immense. His `feel' for game strategy, scouting, and substitution patterns is unsurpassed. Additionally, Tony is one of the best teachers of individual skill development that I have ever worked with. His ability to break down skills and motivate athletes to grow and improve is legendary among UCSB, and undoubtedly Westmont, players. Tony is also one of the most competitive people I have had as an assistant coach. He hates to lose and spreads that passion for success to everyone around him. He has a great mind, is an excellent teacher with a great competitive heart, and one of the finest human beings I know! Congratulations to the Bruin women's basketball family - you are fortunate to have him!" Follow @CoachTonyUCLA Tony Newnan joined the UCLA womens basketball staff in May of 2011 and enters his sixth season at UCLA in 2016-17. He is a 20-plus-year coaching veteran, with Pac-12 experience, known for his defense, who has worked with numerous players drafted by the WNBA over the years. Newnan helped bring in UCLA's first-ever No. 1-ranked recruiting class in 2014-15. The class included Recee' Caldwell, Jordin Canada, Monique Billings, Lajahna Drummer and Kelli Hayes. In 2015-16, the Bruins' recruiting class of Ashley Hearn and Kennedy Burke ranked 9th nationally. Prior to UCLA, Newnan has been a womens basketball assistant coach for eight seasons at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, Calif. The Warriors earned NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) national rankings and advanced to the NAIA Tournament in four of his last five seasons there. In 2009, Westmont posted a school record 22 wins and won at least 20 games in three of his last four seasons. From 2000-01, Newnan worked as an assistant womens basketball coach at Oregon State University. The Beavers entered post-season play (National Womens Invitation Tournament) for the first time in six seasons during that year and were led by the play of guard Felicia Ragland who was named the Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year in 2001. Ragland, who went on to be selected by the Seattle Storm in the 2002 WNBA draft, also earned District VIII Kodak All-America honors in both 2001 and 2002. Newnan, who was the Associate Head coach at UC Santa Barbara in 1999-2000, served as a Gauchos assistant from 1993-2000. The Gauchos captured six Big West conference titles during his tenure, set a school record with 30 wins in 2000 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000. A 1992 graduate of UCSB, Newnan embarked on his coaching career as a student assistant coach for the Gaucho womens team in 1990-93. He was then hired full-time the following season. During his years at UCSB, Newnan helped coach such future WNBA draft selections as Kayte Christensen, Erin Buescher and Stacy Clinesmith. What They're Saying: Stacy Clinesmith, former UCSB player and four-year WNBA player "What I remember most about Tony is that his energetic, excited style of coaching made you want to play even harder on the court. He teaches the game so well and explains everything so well. He helped me be a better player skill-wise and emotionally as well, helping instill a we-will-not-lose attitude. Tony definitely brought out the best of me. I would have done anything, including run through a wall, for him and the coaching staff." Kayte Christensen, former UCSB player, seven-year WNBA player, current ESPN men's and women's basketball reporter/analyst "One of the great things about Tony is that he's a really good teacher. He has a unique and creative way of breaking down things so that it makes sense to each individual. I loved when coaches got in my face and pushed me. You can sense his passion and see how much he loves what he's doing. I've been away from UCSB for years, but I still call him once a year and thank him for my experience. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do to help us grow both on and off the court. Collegiate coaches bring players in as 17-18 year olds and adopt them as surrogate children, and I definitely feel like I grew so much with his help. I could not have been in the WNBA for seven years without him." Mark French, former UCSB head coach "I consider Tony Newnan to be one of the brightest basketball minds in women's basketball. His contributions to the success of our program at UCSB were immense. His `feel' for game strategy, scouting, and substitution patterns is unsurpassed. Additionally, Tony is one of the best teachers of individual skill development that I have ever worked with. His ability to break down skills and motivate athletes to grow and improve is legendary among UCSB, and undoubtedly Westmont, players. Tony is also one of the most competitive people I have had as an assistant coach. He hates to lose and spreads that passion for success to everyone around him. He has a great mind, is an excellent teacher with a great competitive heart, and one of the finest human beings I know! Congratulations to the Bruin women's basketball family - you are fortunate to have him!"

Walker is responsible for scheduling, equipment, team travel, facilities, community service projects, monitoring of the players' academic progress, assisting with budgeting, camps and on-campus recruiting. She also oversees the managers and video intern and liaisons with marketing, development and sports information. During her coaching tenure at UCLA, the Bruins competed in the NCAA Tournament seven times, including an Elite Eight appearance in 1999. UCLA also won a Pac-10 regular season title in 1999 and a Pac-10 Tournament title in 2006. Walker coached two Pac-10 Players of the Year, four Pac-10 Freshmen of the Year, and seven All-Americans. Walker joined the Bruin staff prior to the 1989-90 season after four years as head girls' basketball coach at Hart High School (1986-89) in Newhall, CA. In her final season at Hart, she guided the school to the quarterfinals of the state championship tournament, the CIF 5-A Southern Section championship and the Foothill League title. She was also named CIF Coach of the Year that season. Several of her high school standouts continued their playing careers at the college level. Prior to coaching at Hart, Walker served as head girls' basketball coach at St. Bernard's HS in Playa del Rey, CA (1984-85) and at Van Nuys HS (1982), where she directed the Wolves into the Los Angeles City championship game. Walker, who graduated from UCLA in 1985 with a B.A. in Political Science, International Relations, earned her Master's degree in Education at UCLA in 1990. She has been married since 2004 to Larry Muir, who teaches history and is the head football coach at Valencia HS. Muir was a member of the UCLA football team from 1989-90. The couple live in Valencia with their beagle, Dee.