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\n\tWhen allowing cameras for the Fox Sports documentary You See L.A.<\/em> into the lives of her players, UCLA women\u2019s basketball head coach Cori Close, who just led the Bruins to a national championship, tried to stick to the wisdom of one of the school\u2019s guiding sports lights.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI had the incredible privilege of being mentored by John Wooden,\u201d Close said during a panel at Deadline\u2019s Contenders Television: Documentary event, \u201cand one of the things he taught me is, one, you\u2019re coaching people\u2019s hearts, but two, he used to say, \u2018If it\u2019s not about teaching, mentoring, equipping for the next 40 years of their lives, it really doesn\u2019t mean a whole lot.\u2019 And so that\u2019s the kind of program that we want to have.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI think what this documentary allows us to do is to show people that you can be courageously vulnerable,\u201d she added. \u201cYou can care about people\u2019s hearts and you can compete to master your craft.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tExecutive producers Kelsey Trainor and Jeff Luini, who previously collaborated on Welcome to Wrexham<\/em>, envisioned the project as \u201ca great example of how storytelling, especially around women and women\u2019s sports, could be done in a way that was comparable to any kind of men\u2019s sports story that you would see,\u201d Trainor said. \u201cIt\u2019s not necessarily, I think we say women\u2019s sports wants in this documentary. That\u2019s not the point. It\u2019s a sports story \u2026 and to Corey and the team\u2019s credit, we were there. We were in the locker room. We were in hard conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt\u2019s a human story,\u201d said Luini.\u201d Sports stories are great. The stakes are there. You win, you lose. But who are the people behind the scenes? Who are the players and their support system? And we talked to Cori about that, and I think that is who she is as a person. It\u2019s like, what is the heart of the person? And that\u2019s what we aimed to get.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cAnd these are young athletes. These are young people who are put on the biggest stage,\u201d Lunini added. \u201cThese are 18-, 19-, 20-, 21-year-olds who are maybe exposing themselves and making mistakes in front of the largest platform. And let\u2019s remember that they\u2019re the youth and give them a chance. And I think that\u2019s what\u2019s special. We\u2019ve seen it in professional leagues, but to see it on this level and for them to be \u2026 We go back and these are authentically people who are themselves. And for them to share their true selves with us, I think that\u2019s what\u2019s unique about this.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI remember when Kelsey and Jeff came before our team and told them about the project and they said, \u2018We\u2019re not here to have gotcha moments.\u2019 And I could see their shoulders go [relaxed], okay?\u2019 Close agreed. \u201cAnd just over time, there just really was a trust that their desire was to tell their stories in an honoring, but real and authentic way. And that\u2019s exactly what they did.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tTrainor said that transparency meant seeing the team through both highs and lows. \u201cWe hoped there would be a national championship \u2013 that was the goal,\u201d she said, \u201cbut it was really just \u2018Rocky doesn\u2019t win in the first movie,\u2019 So we knew that you could tell a story no matter the result, if you\u2019re caring about the human part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWomen\u2019s basketball is the most diverse sport in all of college athletics and has been for over a decade,\u201d said Close, \u201cand so we have a phrase in our program, \u201cAll of you is welcome here.\u201d Despite your political background, despite where you\u2019re from, what your religion is, whatever it is, all of you is welcome here. And I have so much to learn from you, even if we\u2019re really different. And what a privilege to be able to be a part of that and to tell that kind of story. And we\u2019ve had so much feedback that I needed that. They didn\u2019t need our wins or losses. They needed joy. They needed hope. They needed connection and building.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tClose added that she didn\u2019t have a prediction for the team\u2019s next iteration, which is also going to be films, but promised \u201cWe have no interest in rebuilding. We only have interest in reloading. So I have great expectations moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tCheck back Monday for the panel video.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n