Worth 1,000 words
Photo by Ross Turteltaub, UCLA Athletics
Cori Close
As a player for the Gauchos, who she would later coach as an assistant, Close reached the second round of the NCAA tournament in 1992 and 1993. This year, as head coach of the UCLA women’s program, she led the Bruins to their first-ever NCAA Division 1 National Championship with a dominant win over South Carolina in the title game.
Photo by Michigan Photography
Justin Joyner
Joyner captained the UCSB men’s basketball team during the Gauchos’ back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances in 2010 and 2011. In 2026, as an assistant coach at the University of Michigan, he helped the Wolverines win an NCAA National Men’s Championship for the first time since 1989. He has since departed Michigan for his first head coaching role, at Oregon State.
