Cori Close still visits with him to this day, before every home game.
As she walks down a hallway inside Pauley Pavilion, John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success to her left and all of his teams’ championship banners to her right, Close engages in an internal dialogue with her beloved mentor.
“I sort of say, ‘Papa, I hope I make you proud,’” Close told the California Post, the UCLA Bruins women’s basketball coach choking up. “‘May I teach and coach in a way that reflects the amazing example you gave me, and if I can be half of that today, it will be a good day.’”
