May 19, 2004

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - UC Santa Barbara women's basketball associate head coach Cori Close has accepted a similar position at Florida State, it was announced Tuesday.

Close has been a member of the Gaucho coaching staff for the past nine seasons, serving in her current role since 2001-02. She has patrolled the sidelines next to head coach Mark French longer than any other assistant during his 25-year career, while Close's association with UCSB dates back to her freshman year as a player in 1989-90.

"First and foremost, I'm excited for Cori and pleased that she'll have the opportunity to work with Sue Semrau, who is one of the true class-acts in our profession," French said. "I predict this will be a great professional and personal move for Cori."

"At the same time, I am also sad because we are losing somebody who has been so vital to our Gaucho family for such a long time," French added. "I want to thank Cori for her unwavering dedication to UCSB. Change can be a good thing, and I hope it's good for Cori and, eventually, good for our program as well."

With Close on staff, Santa Barbara captured an unprecedented nine consecutive Big West Conference regular season titles and advanced to eight straight NCAA Tournaments, including the Sweet 16 in 2004. Her duties with the Gauchos included skill development of all players, on-court offensive coaching and recruiting. In addition, Close was in charge of scheduling for the program, making UCSB's non-conference slate of opponents one of the nation's most challenging each year.

As a player, Close was a four-year starting point guard and captained Santa Barbara's first two NCAA Tournament teams in 1992 and 1993, leading them both to the second round. The Milpitas, Calif., native was a First Team All-Big West selection and the MVP of the conference tournament in 1993. One doesn't have to look very hard to find Close's name in the school record books, as she ranks among the top-10 in seven UCSB career statistical categories. She was the first player in school history to record more than 1,000 points and 500 assists in a career.

Following her playing career, Close received a master's degree in educational administration from UCLA where she also began her coaching career as a graduate assistant with the Bruins.

At Florida State, Close will join a Seminoles' squad that has advanced to the postseason in three of the past four seasons, including the NCAA Tournament in 2001 when they finished with a No. 25 national ranking. Last year - Semrau's seventh in Tallahassee - FSU went 15-15 overall and advanced to the second round of the Postseason WNIT.

UCSB will begin its search for a third assistant coach in the near future. The Gaucho coaching staff also includes assistants Tasha McDowell and Carter Shaw, who will take on additional responsibilities within the program.