Stanford formally introduces new coach Dawkins
STANFORD, Calif. -- Johnny Dawkins did the whole meet-and-greet thing on Stanford's campus Monday, two days after becoming the Cardinal's new men's basketball coach.
Dawkins, a longtime assistant coach at Duke under Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski, was formally introduced by the school. He replaces reigning Pac-10 Coach of the Year Trent Johnson, who led Stanford to the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2001 before leaving to coach LSU.
"We're going to do something special here," Dawkins said. "It takes ownership from everyone. The one thing I believe is it's our program, it's not Johnny Dawkins' program. You only do things special when you do it together."
Dawkins, 44, is a recognizable name despite the fact he has no prior head coaching experience. He was an All-American guard for the Blue Devils, a high first-round NBA Draft pick and played nine NBA seasons before returning to coach as an assistant at his alma mater.
He joined the Duke staff for the 1997-98 season and spent the last nine as associate head coach under Coach K. He will still work as an assistant under Krzyzewski for the U.S. Olympic team in China this summer.
Dawkins met with his new players Monday afternoon before his introductory news conference.
"You can definitely tell he's used to winning," guard Anthony Goods said. "He had a great career as a player and has had success at Duke as an assistant. You can definitely tell he's ready to work. He's about business."
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| 'We're going to do something special here,' Johnny Dawkins says. (AP) |
Dawkins first interviewed Friday and agreed to the six-year contract the following day.
"We're very excited to start the Johnny Dawkins era at Stanford," Bowlsby said. "As we began this process, we were certainly looking for someone who was a great fit at Stanford University."
Johnson was introduced at LSU on April 10, leaving Stanford following his fourth season after he didn't receive a contract extension from Bowlsby. The sides had the framework of a deal but hadn't sat down for final discussions.
Stanford (28-8) surprisingly finished in second place in the powerful Pac-10 this season, then went on to reach the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament before losing to Texas.
The Cardinal will move forward without twin 7-foot sophomores Brook and Robin Lopez after both declared themselves eligible for the NBA Draft and said they would forgo their final two college seasons.
