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Statement from Duke President Richard H. Brodhead and Athletic Director Joe Alleva on the Departure of Women's Basketball Coach Gail Goestenkors

"She is a great coach and a fine person, and we are grateful for everything she's accomplished at Duke," Duke's president says

Duke President Richard H. Brodhead and Athletic Director Joe Alleva responded Tuesday to the decision of Women's Basketball Coach Gail Goestenkors to accept the position of head coach at the University of Texas.

Statement from Duke President Richard H. Brodhead:

I have talked with Gail repeatedly in the last few days and I know this was an extremely difficult decision for her, but ultimately the lure of a new challenge outweighed her many ties at Duke. She is a great coach and a fine person, and we are grateful for everything she's accomplished at Duke. I join with Gail's many admirers at Duke in wishing her well.

We now begin the process of searching for her successor. I'm confident we will attract a first-class coach to lead one of the great women's basketball programs in the country.

Statement from Athletics Director Joe Alleva:

Gail informed me earlier today that she will no longer be the coach at Duke University. During the last week and throughout her entire time at Duke, we addressed everything that Gail requested in order to remain our coach for the duration of her career. In the end, it came down to her seeking a new challenge at this stage in her career and her life. We respect her decision and wish her the best of luck in her new role. We thank her for all of her years of service and the job she did while building our program.

 

 

While we are disappointed that she has chosen to leave, we have to look forward now and search for the best women's basketball coach for Duke University. Given the success of our program, the talented student-athletes we have returning, the quality of our recruiting class, and a top-flight educational opportunity for young women, we are confident that we will attract a coach with excellent leadership skills who fits best into our mission as an athletic department. That process has already started. It will continue until we find the coach who wants to lead this program to even greater heights in the future.