Coach Cori Close follows God's call, leads UCLA to 1st national title

Coach Cori Close leads UCLA women to 1st national title, walks in her ‘calling’ from God

By Kevin Mercer Apr 6, 2026

UCLA head coach Cori Close celebrates the national championship with her team, April 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

While the success of the men’s basketball team at UCLA is unparalleled — 11 NCAA national championships, the most in the nation — the women’s team was more of an afterthought, hungry for its first title.

That is, until last night.

Guided by longtime head coach Cori Close, the Bruins (37-1) dominated South Carolina right from the jump on Sunday in Phoenix en route to a 79-51 victory. All five Bruins starters scored in double-figures (and a sixth player added nine). UCLA’s balanced offensive attack, paired with its stifling defense that held the Gamecocks to 29% shooting, helped it carve out a 21-10 lead by the end of the first quarter. South Carolina would never pull within less than 11, and the celebration was on.

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UNIVERSITY OF CHAMPIONS, LOS ANGELES 🏆

UCLA TAKES DOWN SOUTH CAROLINA TO WIN THE WOMEN'S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP! pic.twitter.com/P36bwyRAC6

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 5, 2026

Close found herself in tears of joy as she celebrated with family and friends. She’s led UCLA for 15 years now, the best coach in the team’s history, having led the Bruins to their first Final Four last year. And on Sunday, she closed the deal with the program’s first NCAA championship (UCLA won an AIAW — Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women — title in 1978). In doing so, she became the longest-tenured head coach at a single school to win a first championship.

When Close was interviewed on a confetti-littered court by ESPN moments after the final horn sounded, only the Bible provided the words to adequately express her emotions.

“It’s immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine,” she said, referencing Ephesians 3:20. “It’s beyond my wildest dreams. … It would be shallow without amazing and incredible people that have poured into me my whole life.”

.@CoachCoriClose celebrates with her mom after National Championship win. ❤️#WFinalFour x 🎥 ABC / @UCLAWBB pic.twitter.com/bVwptMtK4i

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) April 5, 2026

When asked about how she’s slowly but surely built her program, in her own style, over the course of her 15 years, Close said she was simply seeking to be obedient to God.

“It was a calling. It was the calling that God told me to do it this way,” she told ESPN. “We always said we were gonna do it in an uncommon, transformational way.”

Close continued her meditations on God’s call in the postgame press conference.

“This has been a calling, not a job,” she said in her opening statement. “I’ve been saying it all day, but I don’t even know how else to say it — it’s immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine. So I’m really grateful.”

The Milpitas, California, native has sought to ground her coaching in her Christian faith, just like her mentor and legendary Bruins men’s coach John Wooden did.

“It isn’t as much about what I say as how I live and what I do,” she told the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in 2011, shortly after taking the head coaching job at UCLA. “I want everyone I encounter to feel valued and loved, whether they share my faith or not. I just want to enter their world and serve them and love them in a way that reflects what I’ve received from Jesus. I believe this is my ministry and what God has called me to.”

Close had the opportunity to share her testimony of faith in Christ when she joined the Sports Spectrum Podcast in 2020.

“I would definitely say at an early age I accepted Jesus into my heart, but I would say it was a little bit more of a performance thing. More than anything, I knew that was the right thing to do and say,” she said on the podcast about her upbringing with parents who met on staff with the Young Life ministry. “But the great thing is, I had so much wisdom and truth sewn into my heart my entire growing-up years.

“But I really think my true Christ-following journey started my freshman year of college. I went to UC-Santa Barbara, and I played basketball there, and basketball in reality was really my god. I think I was about nine games in, I was starting, everything was going great. And I turned and ruptured my Achilles’ tendon. It just exploded and I didn’t know what to do.”

As it turns out, it was that injury that God used to draw her to Himself.

“I think that’s the first time I ever sort of let go and said, ‘I can’t do this, God. I need You.’ And He sort of let me crawl into His lap and I said, ‘OK, I want to follow You and I want to learn what it means to abide in You — to have a relationship, to be obedient.’ Really I think that’s when a more dependent relationship really began,” she said on the podcast.

Close’s favorite verse is 2 Corinthians 12:9, which talks about God’s grace for us, and His strength being made perfect in our weaknesses.

“A lot of what I was all wrapped up in was I was having to ‘do’ all these things for the Kingdom and I was gonna have to ‘do’ all these things right,” she said on the podcast. “… And I think God’s changed that in me to just be like, ‘You know what, I need to love people right where they are and I need to just trust God with this. It is not my job to convert people; it is not my job to convince.’ My job is to ‘act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with my God’ (Micah 6:8) and to ‘be prepared to give an account for the hope that lies within me’ (1 Peter 3:15).

“… I gotta worry about walking in holiness the best I can. I gotta work on abiding in the Vine. I’ve changed my prayers so much; I pray that God [would] make me a fruit-bearer.”

He’s done just that, certainly on the court with two Final Fours and now a national championship, but much more importantly in the lives of countless young women who have benefited from Close’s commitment to Biblical wisdom and guidance.

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Basketball

From NAIA to Final Four in home state, Illinois senior Ben Humrichous gives ‘God all the glory’

By Kevin Mercer Mar 31, 2026

Illinois forward Ben Humrichous, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Much of the attention in the lead-up to the 2026 Final Four has been on the No. 1 seeds, Michigan and Arizona, and on the recent dominance of UConn basketball under coach Dan Hurley and the dramatic way the No. 2-seeded Huskies reached the first weekend in April.

But through the first four rounds of the NCAA Tournament, No. 3-seeded Illinois — in its first Final Four since 2005 — has looked just as capable of winning it all. The Illini possess elite size and length that has frustrated opponents offensively, and their lack of turnovers (5th lowest in the nation at 8.8 per game) combined with their balanced 3-point attack is difficult to stop.

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Illinois’ closest of its four tournament victories was a 10-point decision — 65-55 — against No. 2-seeded Houston in the Sweet Sixteen, a game played in Houston. The Illini held Iowa to 59 in the Elite Eight and VCU to 55 in the second round, and they erupted offensively for 105 in the first round against Penn.

A key contributor to the Illini’s versatility throughout the season has been senior Ben Humrichous. The 6-foot-9, 225-pound forward from Tipton, Indiana, has played in all 36 games for the Illini this season, averaging 5.9 points and 3.9 rebounds in 22.4 minutes per game. He shoots 36.1% from the 3-point line and is tied for second on the team in made 3-pointers.

The State Farm Center loved this Ben Humrichous triple 🎯 @IlliniMBB

📺: FS1 pic.twitter.com/MlUNXecy51

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 30, 2026

Humrichous has taken on a slightly reduced role in 2025-26 due to the influx of talented transfers, so he has only started two games this season after being a starter for much of last season. But the sharpshooter hasn’t elevated his personal preferences above the good of the team.

“I went to coach Brad (Underwood) and told him, ‘I want responsibility to help our team win.’ That’s what I wanted to do,” Humrichous told the media earlier this month about why he returned to Illinois. “And some of that was just having humility. It might be different than what you ever wanted, but I wanted to help this team win.”

Humrichous began his collegiate career in 2020 at Huntington University, an NAIA school in Huntington, Indiana, and then transferred to Division-I University of Evansville (Ind.) for the 2023-24 season. As his play continued to improve, he entered the transfer portal again, this time landing in Champaign ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.

Now, he has helped the Illini advance all the way to the Final Four, which will be held in Indianapolis, just about an hour’s drive south from his hometown.

“I give God all the glory,” he told WCIA in Champaign last weekend. “Finding a ton of freedom in the way that I’m playing again. It’s just fun, and I love that I get to do it with the guys that I get to do it with. So, I gotta give God glory for the gift that this is, and I just want to keep it going.”

Humrichous frequently mentions his faith publicly, such as in postgame interviews and on Instagram. He even had the opportunity to speak at a church in nearby Danville, Illinois, in February 2025. He is also very involved with the University of Illinois chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA).

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Humrichous’ foundation of faith begins with his family. He credits his father with instilling in him a love for Jesus, as well as a love for basketball, of course.

“He was somebody that always encouraged me, first in my faith in Christ, but also in the game of basketball,” Humrichous told WEHT in Evansville last week. “These are the gifts God has given us. … [My dad has] encouraged me to use those gifts for God’s glory. Basketball was one of those areas, and my relationship with Jesus Christ. If I didn’t have that, I wouldn’t have anything. It’s because of Christ that I’ve found freedom in things like basketball.

“My faith is No. 1. That’s what’s most important. That’s what’s going to drive everything in my life. It’s why I can play the game of basketball and just have fun. Because of Jesus, I’m set free from performance and expectation and failures.”

The 23-year-old has leveraged his platform as a Division-I athlete for good, starting an apparel brand called Prove God Right. And in a tribute video ahead of his Senior Day festivities with Illinois earlier this month, Humrichous made sure Illini fans knew how important his Christian community has been to him.

“The University of Illinois has been extremely special to me not only because of the basketball program but because of the community and because of the different things that I’ve been involved with, especially FCA,” he said. “Here through FCA, through the community, I met my wife, which is an incredible blessing: Adalia McKenzie, now Humrichous. … They’ve put their arm around me and Adalia as we’ve continued to grow in our relationship and grow as children of God.”

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Playing from a place of freedom in Christ, Humrichous can enter his final week as a college basketball player on the biggest stage in the sport, knowing that whether his journey ends in tears of joy or tears of disappointment, it has all been a good gift from God.

Humrichous and the Illini will take on UConn in Saturday’s first semifinal matchup from Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium at 6:09 p.m. ET.

>> Do you know Christ personally? Learn how you can commit your life to Him. <<

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Basketball

Tarris Reed knows ‘the Lord has blessed me’ as he leads UConn back to Final Four

By Kevin Mercer Mar 30, 2026

UConn center Tarris Reed Jr. cuts down the net after advancing to the Final Four, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

March certainly lived up to its reputation for madness on Sunday evening at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C.

In one of the most memorable games in recent NCAA Tournament history, No. 2-seeded UConn stormed back from a 19-point deficit to beat Duke — the No. 1 overall seed — 73-72, to advance to the Final Four.

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Despite seeing the lead trimmed to 72-70 after a made UConn free throw, Duke successfully inbounded with ball with just 10 seconds remaining. In an attempt to burn those final seconds and evade a foul, however, the Blue Devils passed the ball around the backcourt, and when they tried to loft a pass into the frontcourt, it was deflected. What came next was a sequence that has cemented itself in college basketball lore.

OH MY GOODNESS 😱

UCONN LEADSSSS UNBELIEVABLE #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/IPX2JWiw0b

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 29, 2026

Braylon Mullins will be remembered forever amongst college basketball fans for his dagger 3-pointer. It goes down with shots like Christian Laettner’s in 1992 and Kris Jenkins’ in 2016.

But the 2026 Huskies would not have been in position to win Sunday’s game without the play of center Tarris Reed Jr., who kept his team afloat in the first half. The senior, playing in his last NCAA Tournament, contributed 26 points (10-of-16 shooting), nine rebounds, four blocks — all team highs — and stout defense against Duke’s powerful front court.

“It could be my last college basketball game,” Reed said in his postgame press conference, “and [our coaches] were just like, ‘Go for it all.’ Coach told us before the game, ‘You’ve got to swing for the fences. Go as hard as you can.'”

Reed has been “swinging for the fences” all tournament long. In the Huskies’ opening-round game against Furman, he used his 6-foot-11, 265-pound frame to pour in 31 points (12-of-15 shooting) and grab an astounding 27 rebounds in the 82-71 win. Then, in a 73-57 second-round victory against UCLA, he recorded a 10-point, 13-rebound double-double and swatted away three shots.

The St. Louis native scored 20 points with five rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal in a hard-fought win over No. 3-seeded Michigan State, 67-63, in the Sweet Sixteen on Friday, and after Sunday’s showing he was named the East Regional’s Most Outstanding Player.

WHO ELSE. TARRIS REED JR., YOUR EAST REGION MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER 🔥 pic.twitter.com/e0YTu3d8tW

— UConn Men's Basketball (@UConnMBB) March 29, 2026

UConn was the fourth team to punch its ticket to the Final Four in Indianapolis, joining Michigan, Arizona and Illinois. The Huskies will play the No. 3-seeded Illini, the champions of the South Regional, on Saturday. If they win, they might play Michigan in the title game. It would be an intriguing final college game for Reed, as he played his first two college seasons with the Wolverines under their previous head coach, Juwan Howard. After Howard was fired, Reed transferred to UConn.

From Ann Arbor, Michigan, to Storrs, Connecticut, the former role player has developed into one of the most dominant centers in the country. He started 31 games for the 2023-24 Michigan team that finished 8-24, then started just one game for the 2024-25 UConn squad that was eliminated in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Now, after starting 33 games this season and leading his team in scoring (14.7 points per game), rebounding (8.8) and blocks (2.1), he’ll finish his career in the Final Four.

It’s a journey for which Reed can only thank his Heavenly Father.

“I’m filled with gratitude just looking around, just so thankful for it all,” he said on Sports Spectrum’s “What’s Up” podcast in January. “It’s crazy how I’m at my last year, going into my last semester, and now I’m realizing, ‘Wow, look at the Lord. Look what the Lord has blessed me with.’ I wish I could have known this in my freshman year. … Be grateful for it, man, because this is it for me.”

Reed said on the podcast that his college experience was defined just as much by his spiritual growth as his growth on the court. Once challenged to read about the life of Jesus in the Bible, Reed now reads Scripture as part of his daily morning routine.

“Jesus just wiped my eyes clean,” Reed said on the podcast. “I got to see the world through a whole new lens. That’s really where my journey began. That’s where the seed — my whole life — just grew and it started to blossom from there.”

"My whole life changed."

On Monday you can listen to our full conversation with @TarrisReedJr from @UConnMBB!https://t.co/38w3bP9ARo pic.twitter.com/nknqPhqO7v

— Sports Spectrum (@Sports_Spectrum) January 4, 2026

Prayer is also now a critical component of Reed’s life.

“I got back to speaking to the Lord,” he told CT Insider in February 2025. “I’ve been stronger ever since. I read my Bible every morning. … I had to be reminded that I get my confidence from Him, being strong in my faith.”

Reed frequently begins press conferences by praising the Lord, and his X account includes a banner photo with the words, “It’s all about Jesus, it’s only about Jesus and it’s always about Jesus.” He calls himself a “Disciple” on Instagram, where he often references his faith in posts.

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“Jesus has literally changed me from the inside out,” Reed told CT Insider last year. “I love talking about the Lord and what He’s done for my life, so I can go out and help others.”

Already thankful for all that God has done in his life over the past four years, Reed now has a chance to add a national championship to his college basketball resume. UConn and Illinois will tip off from Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium at 6:09 p.m. ET Saturday.

>> Do you know Christ personally? Learn how you can commit your life to Him. <<

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Basketball Sports Spectrum Podcast

SS PODCAST: Former Wisconsin & NBA player Frank Kaminsky on growing in faith, becoming a dad

By Sports Spectrum Mar 27, 2026

Frank Kaminsky with the Phoenix Suns in 2021. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH MATT FORTE, FEATURING FRANK KAMINSKY

Frank Kaminsky played eight NBA seasons with the Charlotte Hornets, Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets, and is currently playing with Alvark Tokyo of the Japanese League.

He was selected ninth overall in the 2015 NBA Draft by Charlotte after a stellar college career at Wisconsin, where he was the 2015 Naismith College Player of the Year and a consensus first-team All-American. He led the Badgers to the Final Four twice (2014, 2015) and advanced to the national championship game in 2015 before losing to Duke, 68-63.

Today on the podcast, host Matt Forte talks to Frank Kaminsky about his love for the Chicago Bears (Matt’s former team), the phone call he got from Michael Jordan, playing in two Final Fours, growing in his faith, and becoming a dad.

>> Do you know Christ personally? Learn how you can commit your life to Him. <<

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RELATED PODCASTS:
– George Hill, Former NBA Player
– Al Horford, 2024 NBA champion

PLEASE CONSIDER SUBSCRIBING, FOLLOWING AND LEAVING A REVIEW

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Basketball

Spiritual leaders Latrell Wrightstell, Houston Mallette helping keep Alabama ‘centered’

By Cole Claybourn Mar 26, 2026

Alabama's Latrell Wrightsell (left) and Houston Mallette (right), Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Houston Mallette said he’s prepared to do all the dirty work for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Whether it’s rebounding, diving for a loose ball, setting a pick — the things that aren’t necessarily glamorous, but necessary for a winning team — he sees that as his role.

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“I put my life on the line,” Mallette said following No. 4 seed Alabama’s 90-65 win over Texas Tech on Sunday to earn a Sweet 16 matchup with No. 1 seed Michigan. “I love my teammates. There’s a verse in John that says, ‘Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends,’ and that’s what I want to be on the court. That’s all I care about.”

In that game, though, Mallette’s biggest contribution was actually scoring. The senior came off the bench to hit five 3-pointers and finish with 15 points (he did also add eight rebounds). It was his highest point total since a Nov. 25 game against UNLV. Also in the win over Texas Tech, Latrell Wrightstell scored 24 points — his second-highest point total this season. Together, they helped Alabama reach the Sweet 16 for the fourth straight year.

The two have also risen up to be spiritual leaders on the team this season. They are both outspoken about their faith any chance they get to speak to media.

“We have a real big foundation in our faith with the Lord Jesus Christ,” Wrightsell told TNT Sports after the win over Texas Tech. “He’s always with us. He protects us. He guides us through all of this. Through His path and His leading, we’re here right now today and we’re moving on to the Sweet 16, so I’m just thankful and I’m blessed.”

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But they’re just as vocal in the locker room and in private when cameras aren’t around. Toward the end of the regular season, Wrightsell and Mallette spoke in front of a team Bible study about their faith journey and how God had worked in their lives.

“None of us wanted that night to end,” team chaplain Scotty Hollins recently told On SI. “They were just sharing their hearts and talking about their gratitude for what God had done and what God was doing through their lives and through our team.”

The weekly Bible study was initially organized by Hollins and Dre McLean, another team chaplain, earlier in the season. The group that started gathering quickly grew and began convening in the athletes’ dining hall. As the season progressed, Galatians 6:9 became sort of a life verse for the group. The verse reads, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

For both Wrightsell and Mallette, that verse is especially meaningful after they both suffered season-ending injuries last season. They weren’t sure if they’d be able to play or be fully healthy for their final year of college basketball.

“I talk about this with Trelly all the time — it’s not ‘could,’ it’s not ‘may,’ it’s ‘will,'” Mallette told On SI, referring to the verse. “The word ‘will’ in the Bible is important, like you will 100% reap a harvest if you do not give up. That means God does have something for you in your life. It may not be basketball-related at all, but God is going to show you His love and show you His plan.”

They both learned a lot about patience while they were forced to sit with injury. The story of Joseph, who was sold into slavery before rising to save others (Genesis 37-50), helped provide a Biblical lesson for them to cling to during that season.

Wrightsell played three seasons at Cal State-Fullerton, and Mallette spent three at Pepperdine before they both transferred to Alabama — Wrightsell before the 2023-24 season and Mallette the following year. They met and bonded even before Mallette transferred and they’ve been close since.

“Every Thursday, when we met throughout the year, we would just talk,” Mallette told On SI. “It’s helped keep me centered, it’s kept Trelly centered, it’s kept everybody on the team centered.”

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Head coach Nate Oats, who has been open about his own faith in God, said the best part of this faith-centered approach on the team is how it’s been player-led.

“That’s how it needs to be, and those two guys have done a good job,” he said when asked about Mallette and Wrightsell in a press conference prior to the Texas Tech game. “… I just hope I can keep coaching these guys a long time because I think they’re about the right stuff. It’s great that they’ve been able to have influence within the team that way.”

That was apparent last week, when star guard Aden Holloway was arrested for possession of marijuana right before the NCAA Tournament began. As the team huddled up to end a practice ahead of the tournament, Mallette asked to pray over the team and the situation.

“They really know Him, and they have a relationship with the Lord,” Hollins said about Mallette and Wrightsell. “I wouldn’t be overstepping by saying He’s not just a part of their life, He is their life.”

Alabama and Michigan tip off at 7:35 p.m. ET Friday on TBS.

>> Do you know Christ personally? Learn how you can commit your life to Him. <<