Cori Close, has coached three gold-medal winning squads for USA Basketball, including the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup. Close has also been named co-recipient of the 2021 USA Basketball Developmental Coach of the Year Award. Close has led UCLA to seven postseason appearances in her ten seasons as head coach, including four consecutive NCAA Sweet 16 appearances. Before joining UCLA, Close had 18 seasons of experience as an NCAA assistant coach and was a four-year starting point guard at UC Santa Barbara.
Master of Ceremonies
Kirk Hawkins
KTLA5 News Anchor
Athlete Parent Speaker
Jill Wall
Athlete Speaker
Joseph Gorin
About Rafer Johnson
For decades, Rafer Johnson has shined both on and off the
sports field. In the 1960 Olympic Games, he was USA team
captain and won the gold medal in the decathlon. In 1984,v
Rafer lit the cauldron to open the Olympics in Los Angeles.
While Rafer’s celebrity came from sports, he used his infuence
to change the world. Along with supporting dozens of charities,
he founded Special Olympics California in 1969. Special Olympics Southern Claifornia will carry on Rafer’s legacy to be “The Best We Can Be.”