Women's basketball head coach Gail Goestenkors met with Texas officials in Austin, Texas yesterday and today and is expected to return to Durham this evening before making a final decision about her future.
A senior athletics department official confirmed that Goestenkors visited Texas last night and this morning to interview for the Longhorns' vacant coaching position. Before she makes a decision, Goestenkors is expected to meet with her team. It could not be confirmed on the Duke or Texas end whether or not Texas made an official offer, but Duke officials expected Texas to do so if Goestenkors traveled to Austin.
A decision is expected within the next day or two, the official said.
Goestenkors could not be reached for comment, but sources close to the Duke program told The Dallas Morning News that the odds of her leaving Duke were 50-50. A parent of a current member of the team told The Chronicle Wednesday afternoon that the players have not yet been notified of any updates.
Texas officials have already said that money will not be an issue in luring Goestenkors to Austin. Freshly retired Texas coach Jody Conradt earned $540,000 last year, which is more than Goestenkors' salary based on the school's most recent IRS filings.
Chris Plonsky, Texas' women's athletic director, could not confirm that Goestenkors was offered the coaching post, but reports earlier in the day indicated that Texas would make a formal offer to the Duke coach, who has been in Durham since 1992.
With Goestenkors mulling the offer, many have offered their support for the Blue Devils' coach.
"I think she's a great coach," Director of Athletics Joe Alleva said. "She's done an unbelievable job at Duke University.... I hope she's the coach here until she decides to retire."
Some of the program's supporters have joined together to let Goestenkors know how much she means to the program, and a two-page ad will appear in tomorrow's edition of The Chronicle outlining her accomplishments.
"We love Gail Goestenkors-we think she's a class act," said Dr. Henry Friedman, deputy director of The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center. "I think she's looking because when you reach that level of stature in your field it is never a bad idea to take a look. If nothing else, you learn things that could be beneficial for your program."
Goestenkors arrived at Duke in 1992, taking over a program that had reached just one NCAA Tournament in its 17 previous years of existence. Since then, Duke has become one of the nation's elite programs, making it to the Final Four in four out of the past eight seasons. Goestenkors' teams have lost in their two appearances in the National Championship game, including an overtime defeat to Maryland in 2006.
Check back with The Chronicle as the story continues to develop.
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