Women’s basketball assistant coach Tasha Brown leaves UCLA for Washington
Former assistant coach Tasha Brown (left) talks with head coach Cori Close (right) on the sideline. Brown led the “Mind Gym” program that helped the Bruins win the national championship in the 2025-26 season. (Daily Bruin file photo)
By Sinclair Richman
June 26, 2026 11:16 a.m.
One week after head coach Cori Close strengthened her staff, a key member announced her departure from the program.
Former UCLA women’s basketball assistant coach Tasha Brown left Westwood and joined Washington’s coaching staff, as announced June 26.
Brown, who was part of the Bruins’ staff for eight seasons, led the “Mind Gym” program used by the Bruins in their national championship run – a mental conditioning tactic that the squad said helped them advance to back-to-back Final Fours and win the national title this past season.
Brown served as an assistant coach at Wisconsin, Cincinnati and Rice before joining UCLA ahead of the 2018-19 season. With the Bruins, she helped the squad reach the NCAA tournament seven times, including four consecutive Sweet 16 runs.
“It is rare to be called from one incredible place to another, and I leave UCLA with tremendous love and gratitude,” Brown said to University of Washington Athletics. “Working alongside my friend and mentor, Coach Cori, our staff, and so many exceptional young women has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. My Bruin family will always hold a special place in my heart.”
UCLA’s coaching staff recently saw the return of associate head coach Shannon LeBeauf after a one-year stint at Rutgers. Brown and LeBeauf began working together in the former’s first year on staff until the latter departed from Westwood before the 2025-26 season.
Washington finished No. 8 in the Big Ten and concluded the season with a 22-11 record, falling to TCU in the second round of the NCAA tournament, its best finish since the 2016-17 season.
The Bruins and the Huskies are familiar foes, having competed against each other in both the Pac-12 and the Big Ten. The squads competed twice in the 2025-26 season, with the Bruins taking both games by a combined margin of 33 points.
“Tasha is an exceptional coach, mentor, and leader,” Washington head coach Tina Langley said in a written statement. “I’ve had the privilege of seeing her teach the game at an elite level firsthand, but it’s her commitment to growing young women that truly sets her apart.”
