UCLA women’s basketball coach Cori Close rips lack of media coverage at top-25 game

Women’s college basketball has been one of the fastest growing sports in the United States recently. But in some ways, media coverage for the sport hasn’t caught up to its popularity.

That was on display Sunday, when the No. 4 UCLA Bruins took on the No. 19 Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus, OH. The matchup was the only top-25 game in women’s college basketball on Sunday, yet according to UCLA head coach Cori Close, only one member of the media bothered to talk with her after the Bruins’ big road win. Orange County Register writer Benjamin Royer spoke with Close remotely after the game. Not a single reporter local to Columbus attended Close’s postgame press availability.

“Honestly, if I’m being really blunt with you, the energy in the building was great, but having no media here at all from either team or either — no AP, no nothing, doesn’t say a lot,” Close told Royer after the game. “We’re the only double-ranked game out today; the only one in the country, and we had no media day today. No media here. You’re the only one that’s asked to talk to me. And credit to you, but I don’t mind if you print that either. Like for the only game that had two ranked opponents to not have more coverage over this particular game — disappointing, honestly.”

Royer did, in fact, publish Close’s remarks, which elicited a response from the Associated Press.

“AP had a freelancer in person covering UCLA-Ohio State today. I can’t speak to the person’s whereabouts post game but I appreciate [Cori Close] noticing,” AP sportswriter Beth Harris wrote on social media.

Thomas Costello, a writer for Ohio State’s SB Nation site, was in attendance and shared more with Awful Announcing on the press coverage at the game. Costello was in the room where press conferences are held and stayed there until UCLA departed by bus. However it seems that the lack of media at the game seemed to discourage any visiting press conference from taking place, which is discouraging but makes sense.

It’s not uncommon for a visiting coach to not get many questions while on the road, especially when the majority of the press is covering the local team. Still though, a game of this magnitude feels like it should have garnered more interest. Close’s criticisms seem more of an indictment on the lack of national outlets covering the game. Those outlets would be the ones most likely to attend a visiting coach’s press conference, especially for a nationally relevant team like UCLA.

The situation shows how the media is still sometimes catching up to the popularity of the women’s game. A top-25 men’s college basketball game would never have a similarly lacking press corp.

Perhaps the absence of national media can be chalked up to the holiday season, although that’s not exactly a great excuse for someone whose job it is to cover sports. Whatever the case may be, Close is certainly well within her rights to call out the lack of attention on such an important game.