Cori Close on the UCLA loss to UConn

[BobbyJ]

I wouldn’t call it rationalization. It’s more like a coach has to speak to several audiences at once, to her continuing players (and their parents), to potential recruits and transfers, to her AD, to fans, and so on.

I also think the metaphor of ‘losing all the inches’ is a good one. It’s her way of saying they were out-hustled, which is exactly what happened. It also squares nicely with her remark about the problem of having too much talent, which is also a pretty accurate (if incomplete) description of her dilemma.

Cori recruited a great roster and wasn’t able to get them to do what was required to take home a ring. I hear this as a confession that she didn’t manage to mold them into a great team. That’s what she meant and it’s what all the audiences she was addressing will hear. When she described the team’s reaction at halftime — “Oh, that’s what you meant.” — that was spot on. This was a consistent message in all of her interviews and it rings true.

Her remarks about the portal’s impact on morale is the one moment where she seems to have failed to understand her own error. Yes, the timing of the portal was bad — we’ve all said this elsewhere — but it wouldn’t have impacted a well-coached team quite as ferociously. This didn’t happen to Geno or Dawn who each only lost one player in the same circumstances. Why? Because they’ve built programs that players (and their families) have bought into. Community and shared sacrifice are the essence of great programs and it’s exactly what they’ve focused on for decades. No one goes to either one and doesn’t know what to expect.

Cori failed to get her team to hustle harder and win all the “inches” and it wasn’t just because agents distracted her players. She says a roster of 10 will suit her better for next season, and she has a point. But this alone won’t suffice to get that extra hustle. She has to demand more from them and not merely offer them some ill-defined opportunity for playing time, NIL or draft status.

She has been a good coach for Lauren and may turn out to be for Sienna as well. But it remains to be seen if she can be one for the entire roster. Lauren arrived as a moody but motivated kid and she needed all of Cori’s kindness and generosity. But the rest of the roster seems to need something else, and this did not come across so clearly in the interview.

What I marvel at is how Geno sold KK on the idea of bringing in Kaitlyn last season and Kayleigh for next season. This must have required a good deal of blunt honesty from him as well as genuine insight into her personality. Could Cori have gotten Kiki to accept something similar with Leger-Walker? Or has she merely promised her playing time and NIL? Similarly, Dawn got Joyce and Tessa to accept limited roles even though they’d have started pretty much anywhere else. This is what a great and not merely good coach can do. It’s the sort of thing Cori needs to be able to do.

I believe you and others are overrating the talent level against top competition of Rice, Dugalic, and Gardiner and Jones was a serious liability on defense and offensively could only chuck 3s from the perimeter. Betts was the lynchpin of the team at both ends and without her they would have struggled to be a top 10 team. Betts' threat in the paint was everything on a team that lacked shot creators and still does. Plus UConn's defensive pressure exposed their lack of a top PG and offensive movement. About 75% of their assists come on post feeds to Betts.

 

[Bone Dog]

I believe you and others are overrating the talent level against top competition of Rice, Dugalic, and Gardiner and Jones was a serious liability on defense and offensively could only chuck 3s from the perimeter. Betts was the lynchpin of the team at both ends and without her they would have struggled to be a top 10 team. Betts' threat in the paint was everything on a team that lacked shot creators and still does. Plus UConn's defensive pressure exposed their lack of a top PG and offensive movement. About 75% of their assists come on post feeds to Betts.

I don't disagree with your analysis of the game and of UCLA in general. I've always thought of them as a flawed team, and their coach was not great at working with their flaws to find a path to a championship. This is precisely what Geno excels at. Everyone saw that the post position was our weak spot, and he turned it into a strength by playing a mix of small ball and 4-out lineups. There's a great moment in the on-court interview with Holly where he admits that he's playing "a game of cat and mouse" with UCLA to deal with their larger front court and to protect Sarah from fouls, and then he adds: "But they're struggling to keep up with Sarah on the perimeter." In other words, every weakness is a strength if you look at it the right way.

 

[WiseWillie]

I think you may have mistaken the "inch" metaphor for "points" or "rebounds" or some actual stat. Cori's not suggesting the game was in any way close. Her point is that they lost every battle for an inch to UConn, and that led to a huge blowout. UConn beat her players inch by inch, over and over again, in that game. She'd probably say the same thing about every one of UConn's games, except maybe Ark St. That one should probably be measured in feet or yards.

This is her giving Geno and the Huskies their due in a very gracious way. Geno got his players to hustle harder, to run faster for loose balls, to win every 50-50 ball, and generally to play at a higher level in pretty much every aspect of the game. That's what she's saying.

Should we really care what Cori Close whose players got out played and she according to some essentially got out coached says or thinks? She either mildly disrespected us or graciously complimented us. Either way, does it matter?

She is one of six in the UConn March Madness run to #12 that could do an after-the-fact interview to explain away losing but which everyone could see for themselves just how dominant UConn was in all facets of the game. It really doesn't need explanation when it was so evident even to those not familiar with X's and O's. There are many more important subjects than to dwell on comments that are meant to explain away and soften the closure apparently felt necessary for - requested by? - the UCLA community. Move on, Boneyard.

 

[cancontent]

Wow. So much to say about a coach's comments following an old fashioned stomping. So why should it matter to UConn what a losing coach says? You think Geno cares? He's heard or seen it all before, numerous times.

Time to move on to some more important stuff, like the comments that some UCLA players or their family not happy with their NIL payout. What? Getting money for doing what you love to do and complaining about it? How about someone post the total NIL paid out by Div I colleges with a list of the top 25 including by player. That might be a worthwhile boneyard discussion instead of what a coach says to rationalize losing to her players, alums and fans.

It's not UConn but rather UConn fans. Per your next sentence, it's highly unlikely that this even comes up on Coach Auriemma's radar.

 

[ThisJustIn]

Should we really care what Cori Close whose players got out played and she according to some essentially got out coached says or thinks? She either mildly disrespected us or graciously complimented us. Either way, does it matter?

She is one of six in the UConn March Madness run to #12 that could do an after-the-fact interview to explain away losing but which everyone could see for themselves just how dominant UConn was in all facets of the game. It really doesn't need explanation when it was so evident even to those not familiar with X's and O's. There are many more important subjects than to dwell on comments that are meant to explain away and soften the closure apparently felt necessary for - requested by? - the UCLA community. Move on, Boneyard.

Funny you commented several times on this article. Move on?

 

[Bone Dog]

Should we really care what Cori Close whose players got out played and she according to some essentially got out coached says or thinks? She either mildly disrespected us or graciously complimented us. Either way, does it matter?

She is one of six in the UConn March Madness run to #12 that could do an after-the-fact interview to explain away losing but which everyone could see for themselves just how dominant UConn was in all facets of the game. It really doesn't need explanation when it was so evident even to those not familiar with X's and O's. There are many more important subjects than to dwell on comments that are meant to explain away and soften the closure apparently felt necessary for - requested by? - the UCLA community. Move on, Boneyard.

I’ll just look past your misrepresentation of what the issue is and ask, “Are you trying to tell us what we’re allowed to care about?” Surely you can’t be trying to prevent any and all reflection on the tournament. And I for one find hearing what opposing coaches thought about it inherently interesting. Just because they lost doesn’t make their point of view false or worthless. Cori saw the game she lost a certain way. Her analysis is not wrong. If you don’t want to hear about it, that’s fine.

 

[Spaceman213J]

Her responses are what I would expect from an intelligent coach in her position.
She's not going to come out and bluntly say we got outplayed and she was outcoached. No coach who just led a team to the final four is going to say that. She still has to recruit against UConn and that would not look good to a recruiting target if UConn is also after them (if NIL is not deciding factor).
I thought the most interesting comments were about the team's prep before leading up to the game and how Geno, Chris & rest of staff conducted themselves and the team and the clear goal he had set. Because they were undefeated and had multiple losses, this last UConn team probably isn't going to get as much credit as they should for what they evolved into by the end of the year. They were a nightmare for most teams on both ends of the floor and I think the only team that would have had a chance was a USC team with JuJu, but as UConn knows all to well, unfortunate things happen and injuries are part of the game.

 

[MooseJaw]

Wow. So much to say about a coach's comments following an old fashioned stomping. So why should it matter to UConn what a losing coach says? You think Geno cares? He's heard or seen it all before, numerous times.

Time to move on to some more important stuff, like the comments that some UCLA players or their family not happy with their NIL payout. What? Getting money for doing what you love to do and complaining about it? How about someone post the total NIL paid out by Div I colleges with a list of the top 25 including by player. That might be a worthwhile boneyard discussion instead of what a coach says to rationalize losing to her players, alums and fans.

Your opinion Willie, but it's obvious that the members of the BY are interested in what a coach who loses to UCONN in the tourney has to say. You are able to hit the ignore if you find these posts objectionable, boring, bothersome or not your cup of tea. You want posts about money, go ahead and post it if that's what you like.

 

[ShmiCO]

Your opinion Willie, but it's obvious that the members of the BY are interested in what a coach who loses to UCONN in the tourney has to say. You are able to hit the ignore if you find these posts objectionable, boring, bothersome or not your cup of tea. You want posts about money, go ahead and post it if that's what you like.

It's even possible to ignore the whole thread -- there's a button in the upper right of the page.

 

[HuskyNan]

Wow. So much to say about a coach's comments following an old fashioned stomping. So why should it matter to UConn what a losing coach says? You think Geno cares? He's heard or seen it all before, numerous times.

Time to move on to some more important stuff, like the comments that some UCLA players or their family not happy with their NIL payout. What? Getting money for doing what you love to do and complaining about it? How about someone post the total NIL paid out by Div I colleges with a list of the top 25 including by player. That might be a worthwhile boneyard discussion instead of what a coach says to rationalize losing to her players, alums and fans.

You’ve complained about a couple of topics being irrelevant to the Boneyard. Instead of complaining, try starting a thread you think is appropriate

I’m just throwing topics out there for discussion. No one is making you read the ones you don’t like

 

[oldude]

I believe you and others are overrating the talent level against top competition of Rice, Dugalic, and Gardiner and Jones was a serious liability on defense and offensively could only chuck 3s from the perimeter. Betts was the lynchpin of the team at both ends and without her they would have struggled to be a top 10 team. Betts' threat in the paint was everything on a team that lacked shot creators and still does. Plus UConn's defensive pressure exposed their lack of a top PG and offensive movement. About 75% of their assists come on post feeds to Betts.

I was really shocked at how ineffective Rice was during the national semifinals. When you consider that she was the national HS POY in 2022, ranked 2nd to Betts and just ahead of Barker in her class, 8 pts on 2/7 shooting, to go with 3 rbs, 3 assists, 2 turnovers and 5 personal fouls in 37 minutes of play is a head scratcher of a game for such a highly ranked player.

 

[Geew1992]

I was really shocked at how ineffective Rice was during the national semifinals. When you consider that she was the national HS POY in 2022, ranked 2nd to Betts and just ahead of Barker in her class, 8 pts on 2/7 shooting, to go with 3 rbs, 3 assists, 2 turnovers and 5 personal fouls in 37 minutes of play is a head scratcher of a game for such a highly ranked player.

She did have shoulder surgery after the season. That may have something to do with it, especially her shooting.

 

[WiseWillie]

I’ll just look past your misrepresentation of what the issue is and ask, “Are you trying to tell us what we’re allowed to care about?” Surely you can’t be trying to prevent any and all reflection on the tournament. And I for one find hearing what opposing coaches thought about it inherently interesting. Just because they lost doesn’t make their point of view false or worthless. Cori saw the game she lost a certain way. Her analysis is not wrong. If you don’t want to hear about it, that’s fine.

Before moving on to something else just want to acknowledge that listening to a coach's opinions on why they lost a game I understand could be found to be interesting. If that's the case, I surely don't want my opinion to stand in the way. Enjoy.

 

[oldude]

She did have shoulder surgery after the season. That may have something to do with it, especially her shooting.

OK, that may be an explanation for her poor shooting. But on defense, Rice was assigned to guard Azzi, and that didn’t go particularly well either, although I will acknowledge that she was getting hung up on screens constantly and Betts or whoever was guarding the screener was extremely slow to react.

 

[BobbyJ]

I was really shocked at how ineffective Rice was during the national semifinals. When you consider that she was the national HS POY in 2022, ranked 2nd to Betts and just ahead of Barker in her class, 8 pts on 2/7 shooting, to go with 3 rbs, 3 assists, 2 turnovers and 5 personal fouls in 37 minutes of play is a head scratcher of a game for such a highly ranked player.

That’s why I’m constantly telling people to disregard HS rankings. That was HS. Evaluate talent based on what they do against college competition. This is COLLEGE. Speed, athleticism, jumping ability, slick ballhandling etc.usually dominates against overmatched HS kids. But not against smarter, stronger, and bigger college players plus experienced coaches scheming to take away player’s strengths and expose their weaknesses. The very best players have it between the ears, they feel and process the game better than the rest.

 

[BobbyJ]

She did have shoulder surgery after the season. That may have something to do with it, especially her shooting.

Rice has never been what coaches consider a shooter. You can tell by whether they have defenders go under or over perimeter screens on them.

 

[oldude]

Rice has never been what coaches consider a shooter. You can tell by whether they have defenders go under or over perimeter screens on them.

So just to verify my recollection, I rewatched the UConn-UCLA highlights, focusing on Rice. This has nothing to do with talent. On defense Rice was just awful. She didn’t fight over screens and mostly stood around with her back to the action. Contrast that with Paige, who would dive down to double the ball in the post and then fly out to the perimeter to close out on a shooter.

Rice’s lack of effort was clearly on display. I have no idea if she just threw in the towel or had some other issue on her mind. What I do know is that if Geno was her coach he would have yanked her out of the game and read her the riot act. Close left her in the game for 37 forgettable minutes until she fouled out.

We all know the famous Geno Auriemma line, “At UConn we don’t teach effort” Apparently, at UCLA it should be a required subject.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Corey was talking about a bad decision to practice in Spokane and then fly and hit the sack. And then they had no time to practice the second day. She said Geno and team went to another venue to get that second day practice in and she learned from that. To this I say shame on the NCAA for such a compressed schedule. Fight all year to get to this lofty level only to be rushed? Well before he was in this situation Geno looked at it and essentially said it was absurd. Good on him, I just wish the NCAA would really get called out for this kind of we really don't care about competition and the athletes.

 

[Geew1992]

Corey was talking about a bad decision to practice in Spokane and then fly and hit the sack. And then they had no time to practice the second day. She said Geno and team went to another venue to get that second day practice in and she learned from that. To this I say shame on the NCAA for such a compressed schedule. Fight all year to get to this lofty level only to be rushed? Well before he was in this situation Geno looked at it and essentially said it was absurd. Good on him, I just wish the NCAA would really get called out for this kind of we really don't care about competition and the athletes.

I’m confused. I thought they were there before UConn. Maybe I’m mistaken. But wast tgat part of Geno’s argument about the playing sites?

 

[JellyBean]

Man, I got a list of coaches that I follow and adore listening to them talk and give/share their insights of the game, Coach Cori is on that list. Her take on the transfer portal was solid. You gain some players and you lose some players. You hate to lose players, but you understand the nature of the process. The key is having that communication line open and it seems like that was the case.

As for her comments about UConn and the Final Four experience, I really enjoyed her take on the whole cutting down the nets and what they did vs what UConn did. In the end, do what you feel like doing. If you want to stay and cut down the nets, go for it, especially if it is your first time going. UConn just has a different standard than a lot of programs. Do what works best for you and your program. I was glad to hear the reflection by Coach Close. For the game side of things and her view. Coach Close was just smart about her comments. She knows that she was outcoached and her program got outplayed. It happens. You just learn and move on.

Overall this was a great interview. Hopefully they can get Coach Auriemma to interview one day.

 

[oldude]

I’m confused. I thought they were there before UConn. Maybe I’m mistaken. But wast tgat part of Geno’s argument about the playing sites?

UCLA got to Tampa a full day ahead of UConn. It didn’t seem to make much of a difference though.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I’m confused. I thought they were there before UConn. Maybe I’m mistaken. But wast tgat part of Geno’s argument about the playing sites?

They had played earlier and were not as pressed as UConn was Geno's point in part, but his main point was it was absurd to not stick at least 1 more day between elite 8 games and Final 4.