Upcoming Event: Women's Tennis versus Battle in the Bay on October 1, 2026 at All Day
/
All Day
Women's Tennis
vs Battle in the Bay
Gail Goestenkors Picks Up Two National Coach of the Year Honors
March 31, 2003
DURHAM, N.C. - Duke University women's basketball head coach Gail Goestenkors has been named the 2003 Naismith and Russell Athletic/WBCA National Coach of the Year. It marks the fourth time in her 11 year stint at Duke Goestenkors has been selected National Coach of the Year.
Goestenkors has guided the Blue Devils to the Elite Eight for the fourth time in her career. On Saturday, Duke won its 34th game of the season, which is a new school and ACC record. The Blue Devils finished off its second consecutive undefeated ACC regular season and won an ACC record fourth straight ACC Tournament title. Goestenkors did all this after losing All-America candidate Monique Currie to a torn ACL in the first preseason game.
The Naismith Coach of the Year was determined by a vote of the Naismith Board of Selectors. The Board of Selectors are comprised of a select group of leading basketball coaches, journalists and administrators. The awards program was founded by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
The Russell Athletic/WBCA Coach of the Year will be presented to the WBCA membership at a banquet on April 7 at 1:00 PM in the Atlanta Marriott Marquis Ballroom.
Other National Coach of the Year accolades Goestenkors has won includes the 1999 Victor Award, 2000 Basketball Times and 2002 GBallmag.com. She is a five-time ACC Coach of the Year selection.
- d - u - k - e -
GAIL GOESTENKORS NAMED NCAA DIVISION I RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA COACH OF THE YEAR
ATLANTA, Ga. - RUSSELL ATHLETIC and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) have selected Gail Goestenkors of Duke University, as the 2003 RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA NCAA Division I National Coach of the Year. Goestenkors becomes the 21st coach in history to receive this accolade, which has been selected by the WBCA since 1983.
Coach Goestenkors is in her 10th year at Duke University. She has help lead the Blue Devils to a No. 1 national ranking and a 34-1 record this season. Known as "Coach G" to players, coaches, fans and student supporters, Goestenkors has raised the level of the women's basketball program at Duke to new heights. For a second consecutive year, Goestenkors and her team are among the "Elite Eight" vying for a spot in the NCAA Women's Final Four. Duke will take on Texas Tech tonight at 9:30 p.m. (EST) for the Midwest Region final.
"RUSSELL ATHLETIC would like to congratulate Duke University head coach Gail Goestenkors for being named the NCAA Division I Coach of the Year," said Rod McGeachy, Vice President of Marketing for Russell Athletic. "RUSSELL ATHLETIC knows that attaining the respect of ones peers is the highest accolade a coach can receive."
Goestenkors is one of six WBCA National Coaches of the Year selected by the Association, which also names winners for each of the other four WBCA collegiate divisions (NCAA Divisions II, III, NAIA and JC/CC) plus the High School division. Each collegiate winner is selected through a two-level process. The first level is by region, in which coaches from each WBCA geographical region vote for their respective top coach. Goestenkors, having received the most votes in WBCA Region 2, advanced as a finalist to the National level of the selection process along with the other seven Region Coaches of the Year in NCAA Division I.
Goestenkors and the national winners from the other five divisions will be presented to the WBCA membership at the RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA Coach of the Year Banquet on Monday, April 7, at 1 p.m., at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis Ballroom. The banquet is part of the 2003 WBCA National Convention, held in conjunction with the NCAA Division I Women's Final Four in Atlanta. Founded in 1981, the WBCA promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game in all of its aspects as an amateur sport for women and girls. For more information about the WBCA visit its website at www.wbca.org.
--WBCA--
---
Orlando "Tubby" Smith and Gail Goestenkors Named 2003 Naismith Coaches of the Year
April 1, 2003 --- Atlanta, GA - Coach Orlando "Tubby" Smith at University of Kentucky and Coach Gail Goestenkors from Duke University have been selected the 2003 Naismith College Basketball Coaches of the Year, it was announced today by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
In addition to the Coaches of the Year, the Atlanta Tipoff Club named T.J. Ford and Diana Taurasi as the Naismith College Players of the Year. It was also announced earlier in March that Charles "Lefty" Driesell was named Men's Outstanding Contributor to Basketball and Betty Jaynes as the Women's Outstanding Contributor to Basketball.
Tubby Smith, in his sixth season at Kentucky, has established the nation's longest win streak in seven years. Smith is part of an elite group of people, including Roy Williams, Jim Boeheim, and Nolan Richardson, who have won 250 games in 11 seasons or less. He led University of Kentucky to the national title in his first year as head coach, becoming only the second coach to ever win a national title in their first year. He revived the basketball programs at Tulsa and Georgia before heading up the Wildcats. He and wife, Donna, are very active in the community. The Tubby Smith Foundation, established to assist under privileged children, has raised over $1.5 million in the past five years. Tubby coached the Wildcats to the 2003 NCAA Elite Eight with a 32-4 season record.
Gail Goestenkors, has completely turned around the Duke's Women's Basketball program in the 11 years she has coached the Blue Devils. She took over with only one full-time assistant and a $10,000 recruiting budget. Her dedication and hard work have now awarded her with one of the top teams in the nation. Goestenkors has led the Blue Devils to four consecutive ACC Tournament Championships (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003), nine consecutive NCAA bids, and their first NCAA Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, and Final Four berths. Known as "Coach G" to players and fans, she is the third quickest ACC Coach to earn her 200th victory. Her 2002 team became the first ACC school to produce an undefeated record by winning the regular season and Tournament titles. Goestenkors has also led the 2002-03 Blue Devils to an ACC record 34 victories this season.
The Coca-Cola Company is the presenting sponsor of the Naismith College Basketball Awards for 2003. The entitlement complements the Company's new 11-year NCAA partnership as a Corporate Champion.
"We are proud to be associated with the most coveted award in college basketball and such an outstanding organization," said Chuck Fruit, senior vice president, worldwide media and alliances, The Coca-Cola Company. "Coca-Cola has always been a strong supporter of collegiate athletics. Having the opportunity to participate in recognizing outstanding basketball achievement is a natural extension of the values we share with the Atlanta Tipoff Club."
The Coca-Cola Company is the world's largest beverage company and is the leading producer and marketer of soft drinks. Along with Coca-Cola, recognized as the world's best-known brand, The Coca-Cola Company markets four of the world's top five soft drink brands, including diet Coke, Fanta and Sprite. Through the world's largest distribution system, consumers in nearly 200 countries enjoy The Coca-Cola Company's products at a rate of more than 1 billion servings each day.
The Naismith Awards, in their 35th year, are given in honor of the inventor of the game of basketball-Dr. James Naismith. The awards program was founded by the Atlanta Tipoff Club, an organization dedicated to recognizing the achievements of student-athletes in basketball. The Awards, including Men's and Women's College Player of the Year, Men's and Women's Coach of the Year, Male and Female Prep Player of the Year and Men's and Women's Official of the Year, are determined by a vote of the Naismith Board of Selectors. In addition, the Board of Selectors, comprised of a select group of leading basketball coaches, journalists and administrators, honors a Men's and Women's Outstanding Contributor to Basketball.
The Atlanta Tipoff Club was founded in 1956 as a way for Atlantans to share in a common bond - the love and enjoyment of college basketball. It has a two-fold mission: to promote continued support for the game of bas
