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.