College basketball coaches jump in on affirmative action

College basketball coaches jump in on affirmative action

The Associated Pres

Hundreds of college basketball coaches asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to preserve affirmative action in university admissions, writing in a friend of the court brief that they have seen the benefits of a diverse student body not just for minorities but for the other students who come to know them.

A group of 285 men’s and women’s coaches joined their professional associations in filing an amicus brief in Fisher v. University of Texas, which is being heard by the nation’s highest court for a second time this fall.

“Many of us have competed against each other on the court, but we join together here,” the coaches wrote. “We understand — from our work every day — the value that diversity and increased perspectives give our student-athletes and the campus community as a whole.”

The list of individual signatories includes current and former coaches, white and black, of men’s and women’s teams at schools large and small. Among them are Geno Auriemma, the 10-time NCAA champion with the University of Connecticut women’s team and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, a five-time NCAA champion.