Duke coaches react to expansion

Five Duke coaches expressed their opinions regarding ACC expansion and the invitations of Miami and Virginia Tech to increase the size of the conference to 11 schools. Reaction ranged from resignation to optimism.

"Most of us, I think, as basketball coaches were against it, but we were curious what the reasoning was and it sounds like it was really based on football," head women's basketball coach Gail Goestenkors said in an interview with The Chronicle Wednesday.

"You have to look at principles, values, tradition," men's head basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski said in a press conference Tuesday. "You're part of a bigger sphere out there than just the ACC.... There is a lot to be said about your geographic area and that landscape. You don't go in and just say, 'We're going to take you and you and you and not have sensitivity.' I think we haven't distinguished ourselves in doing that."

However, Goestenkors does believe the selection of Virginia Tech and Miami, as opposed to the northeast schools that were being considered, does assuage some of Duke's concerns of travel and time away from class.

"Now it appears that with Virginia Tech and Miami that alleviates some of the burden of the [problems] we would have incurred had [Boston College and Syracuse] been included," she said.

Men's baseball coach Bill Hillier wrote in an e-mail that he thought "all along that the presidents will do what they think is best." Women's soccer head coach Robbie Church, who used to coach in the 12-team SEC, wrote, "We've missed less class here [at Duke] and had less travel time with fewer conference teams, which is great for student athletes...For us, it would have ideally been best to stay as an eight-team league, but we'll adjust to whatever changes happen."

However, women's lacrosse coach Kerstin Kimel was displeased because only Virginia Tech fields a lacrosse team, therefore preventing the ACC from having the minimum number of teams to qualify for an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.

"I am disappointed that invitations were not extended to either Syracuse or Boston College in addition to Virginia Tech..." she said. I am not sure how having an 11-team league accomplishes the goals that the ACC set out to accomplish with this."