LOS ANGELES – You know, John Wooden was right.
(And yes, I realize that’s not exactly breaking news. Coach – he’s one of the few people whom I would have addressed in that manner, were he still with us – was right about a lot of things.)
But he was particularly right in the way he respected and, in some ways, actually preferred women’s college basketball. The quote generally attributed to him noted how much he appreciated the “purity” of the women’s game and its fundamental soundness.
And so, after No. 4 UCLA’s 80-46 rout of No. 17 USC Saturday evening in Pauley Pavilion, before an enthusiastic crowd announced at 11,241 and a national streaming audience on Peacock, I had to ask Bruins coach Cori Close – who developed a friendship with the legendary coach as a young UCLA assistant years ago – how she thought Wooden might have appreciated that scene.
“I think that the reason he said that his favorite form of basketball, in his later years, was the women’s college game, was because of the teamwork aspect,” she said. “He always valued that people were as a team were making plays for one another, that they became a team that was greater than the sum total of its parts. That’s what he valued. And he valued, you know, the details. He valued the life lessons that happened between pursuing excellence on the court, but also transfer off the court.
“I’d like to say that he would really enjoy watching this team, and he’d really be proud of how far the game has come in general. His family (tells) me all the time that they always say ‘Papa would have liked this team.’ That comes straight to my heart.”
UCLA’s coach touched off something of a firestorm this past week, after the Bruins had beaten No. 19 Ohio State in Columbus last Sunday but no media members showed up to talk to her or her players afterward. Close, who is incredibly passionate about the sport and committed to its growth, expressed frustration at the time and expounded on her comments Wednesday on a Zoom call after the Bruins completed a sweep of the Big Ten road trip by winning at Penn State.
This isn’t something new. Close makes a point of thanking the media members who do show up to watch her team and ask questions afterward, and she and USC’s Lindsay Gottlieb both consider their missions in part to grow the game in L.A., and perhaps set an example for other parts of the country.
“We know we’ve got a good thing going on in L.A., right?” Gottlieb said. “We know we’ve got two good basketball teams. We know we have star power, really excellent players and humans that draw a crowd. We know the role that women’s basketball plays in the city now, which is awesome. We don’t take that for granted.
“We just wish that we could play better and then held up our end. And we will, we will. Like I think this (a 34-point loss) is more of an anomaly than not.”
Oh, yes. This rivalry in this sport is way closer than that. USC won the Big Ten regular season title last season – on UCLA’s court – and the Bruins returned the favor in the conference tournament in Indianapolis, after which both teams hosted first and second round games, both reached regional finals and UCLA got to the Final Four.
There’s substance here, and this is even though the Trojans are playing this season without JuJu Watkins and have a relatively new roster, with only three players from last season getting any substantial playing time. (And one of the Trojan newcomers is former Bruin Londynn Jones, which is a storyline in itself. Jones was 1 for 9 from the field Saturday, had six points in 21:57 and heard plenty from the UCLA student section.)
The larger ambition is never forgotten.
“One thing that we really share is that we want to grow the game in L.A., together,” Close said. “And I really appreciate the way that Lindsay partners with that, and that really can never be understated. Because when you’re in a fierce rivalry, sometimes that can get lost, and she’s never lost perspective in that. And I’m a proud partner in trying to grow our sport together.”
It means something to the players, too.
“To see the support that we have, that both programs have, it really means a lot for women’s basketball,” said the Bruins’ Kiki Rice. “… I think it’s fun when you’re playing on the court, and a big crowd is really loud. Those are always the most fun games. So, I think it’s strong for both the fans and the players, but it really means a lot to women’s basketball.
“It’s such a great product, and we have so many fantastic players and storylines, and obviously we appreciate all of you for telling those stories.”
This being L.A., the star power was evident in the stands Saturday evening, as well. Cheryl and Reggie Miller, brother and sister, USC and UCLA stars and each wearing their alma mater’s colors, had seats behind the west baseline. U.S. women’s soccer legend Abby Wambach was in the building, and so was ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.
“I was on Stephen A.’s show and he talked about this game and he said, ‘When you play USC, I want to be there,’ ” Close said. “And then I said the date and he was like, ‘Oh, I don’t know if I can do it.’ I followed up and our team followed up.”
That night in Columbus? It wasn’t so much being snubbed by that city’s media, which Close said consisted of an AP reporter and a writer for the local paper. And it must be noted that as legacy media budgets shrink, both print and electronic and in personnel as well as travel budgets, it’s increasingly difficult to cover everything that should be covered.
But this was her main point:
“I just thought to myself, ‘We’re further than that in women’s sports. Not just women’s basketball, but we’ve earned more.’ … We gotta have great gratitude because we have come so far, and we need to keep pushing. There’s still more we can do.”
And, she added, there’s still more stories to be told.
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