Valley An Integral G-Force For Goestenkors

By Steve Barnes, Blue Devil Weekly

You make friends for life at summer camp. That's what the brochures say anyway. It's true in this case. Gail, meet Gale. Twenty or so years later, it's Coach G and GV.

Gail Goestenkors first met Gale Valley while she was still playing for Division II Saginaw Valley State. Valley had just graduated from Michigan State and both were counselors at the Spartans' summer girls basketball camp. While Goestenkors was leading her team to a pair of NAIA Final Fours and earning All-America honors, Valley's coaching career led her to the University of Delaware, the University of Vermont and San Jose State before she joined Debbie Leonard's staff at Duke in 1989.

“We stayed in touch after those camps,” said Valley. “After she went to Purdue as an assistant, I saw her during the summer recruiting season and we always talked.”

The Duke administration was in the market for a new head coach after Valley's third season in Durham. Valley wanted the job, but knew it wasn't going to happen. Some coaches would have packed their bags and moved on after the snub, but Valley knew a certain Purdue assistant who she thought would be a great fit.

“They wanted someone from the outside,” she said. “I wanted the job and was disappointed, but I knew Gail would be a terrific choice. I knew I could trust her and was tired of moving, so I did what I could for her.”

At first, Goestenkors didn't want any part of the Duke situation. The program was under-funded and even back then, the ACC was a tough league.

“She kept me up on what was going on there throughout the process,” said Goestenkors. “After the administration made the commitment to increase the budget, I was interested. Thanks to Gale, by the time the interview came, I had a lot of inside knowledge that the other candidates didn't.”

The rest is history, but it hasn't been easy. A seemingly endless recruiting merry go round of packing, flying, checking into hotel rooms, meeting and greeting, calling, e-mailing and recently instant messaging has been the recipe that has made the Blue Devils into an annual contender for the national championship. Valley has been in the middle of it all, with no end in sight.

As Duke found success, recognition followed. Recognition among the elite high school players, that is. That meant they would be battling established programs for the same players ? players who had been told they were great since middle school. With all the recruiting pitches sounding the same, Valley has managed to land her share for the Blue Devils.

“I take time to get to know them and how they want to succeed,” said Valley. “Relationships are very important in this business and they have to be genuine. I let them know we care about them as people. There's a turning point for each kid. Some want you to tell them they will start day one. The only guarantee we give them is that they will get a great education and will develop to their full potential on the floor. We've been lucky that most of the players we go after respond to that.”

The foundation for the current success was established back in the mid 1990s. Kira Orr, Tye Hall and Payton Black started a pipeline that later included Georgia Schweitzer, Iciss Tillis, Alana Beard and current Blue Devils Monique Currie, Mistie Williams Laura Kurz and Abby Waner.

“GV was the first Duke coach I met,” said Kurz. “I felt really comfortable with her and the rest of the coaches because they were real, and they stay that way after you get there. She's really easy to talk to and we all know she cares about us.”

The personal touch goes a long way, even if it means going a long way to deliver it.

“It's real life as opposed to electronic life,” said Valley. “It means a lot to the coaches when you make the effort to come talk to them face to face as opposed to over the phone. It also helps me get a better feel for the player's situation, even though I can't talk to them. It's tough to get that from an e-mail or IM conversation.”

Three Final Fours, five straight ACC titles and as many consecutive 30-victory seasons also attracts attention from other schools looking for coaches, so why hasn't Valley moved on?

“Why would I leave?” she said. “I've looked at other jobs and didn't apply and didn't get hired for some I did apply for. I like what we have here. I really believe that Duke is the best school in the country. We have everything here. I also like watching the players come in as teenagers and leave as young women. Working with the players is the most fun for me. I haven't found another situation that matches this one yet.”

“She has meant so much to me and this program,” said Goestenkors. “She would make a great head coach and I would support her if she wanted to leave, but I'm really glad she hasn't.”

Sounds like a camp director's dream come true.