Wooden led the Bruins to 10 NCAA championships and 12 Final Fours, becoming the most successful and influential coach in basketball history. Close is among his many coaching disciples.
"Coach Wooden mentored me for 15 years," she said Friday after UCLA knocked off Texas to reach the program's second Elite Eight; its other was in 1999. "… My life has been deeply affected by him and his influence and his time."
"It would be a dream come true," said senior forward Monique Billings, who averages 15.4 points and a team-high 9.6 rebounds. "That's something that you think about when you are a little girl watching basketball or, when you commit to a school, that's something that always comes to mind.