Basketball Coach Unplugged

https://teachhoops.com/⁠ Cori Close’s UCLA rebuild is a blueprint for any coach trying to modernize a program with tradition: build a culture that scales, develop talent on purpose, and train the mental game like it’s part of practice. Why this matters: UCLA just won the 2026 NCAA women’s national championship with a dominant 79–51 win over South Carolina. 1) Culture: “Broom + Shovel” leadership Close uses a broom and shovel as daily reminders: serve first (broom) and dig below the surface (shovel). For high school coaches: your culture is built in the small things—how you treat managers, how you handle mistakes, how you model service. 2) Talent + Development: recruit it, then accelerate it UCLA added elite talent like Lauren Betts and built a roster that could dominate physically. But the key development lesson: when Close brought in a top freshman class, those freshmen averaged 19.0 minutes per game—a deliberate investment in growth. 3) Mental performance: the “Mind Gym” isn’t optional UCLA built a