The Blue Devils toss around words like "mentor," "watcher" and "uncle figure" to describe their former associate head coach Johnny Dawkins-that's how Dawkins will be remembered by his former players.
But the one title Dawkins wanted-head coach-was one he wasn't going to find at Duke, at least not any time soon. And so last April, after 11 years serving under head coach Mike Krzyzewski, Dawkins couldn't turn down Stanford's offer to take over the program.
"Johnny was ready and has been ready to be a head coach for a while," Krzyzewski said of the man he has called most important to Duke's success since the 1980s.
It remains to be seen if what was right for Dawkins will be right for the Blue Devils. His departure will certainly affect the Blue Devils this year and in the years to come.
"Coach Dawkins' absence will make more of an impact right at this time of year," senior Greg Paulus said. "He was coaching me up a lot, and I was spending a lot time with him during the summer. He was just so knowledgeable that you could always learn from him. We're definitely going to miss him, and we already do."
One thing is already obvious: Dawkins has left many voids to be filled. This offseason, Krzyzewski addressed the new needs on the coaching staff by promoting former Blue Devils Nate James and Chris Carrawell to assistant coach and graduate assistant, respectively. They join associate head coaches Chris Collins and Steve Wojciechowski on the bench.
Even without Dawkins, Krzyzewski has plenty of faith in the coaching staff he was forced to shake up.
"I like the fact of some change," he said. "To have two of my former players, Nate and Chris, who have just completed their international playing careers, I think that's good. It gives even more responsibilities to [Wojciechowski and Collins]... and gives them a chance to use their skills and be head coaches, so to speak. "
Still, Dawkins' absence will be most-felt on the court. His acute observations and ability to offer calm, critical advice to his players were arguably his most valuable assets, some Blue Devils said.
"Coach Dawkins is truly missed around here," junior Gerald Henderson said. "We kind of called him the 'watcher.' He's not really running a whole bunch of drills. He doesn't say a whole bunch. He just kind of watches over things and puts his two cents in when he wants.... His attention to detail was something that I had never seen in my life before."
Jon Scheyer echoed Henderson's sentiments, recalling many occasions in which Dawkins provided him one-on-one coaching that upped his game.
"He was always someone who would come up to me on the side and give me little things here or there," the junior said. "It's something I'm sure I'll notice throughout the year."
But Dawkins brought much more to the Duke program than a keen pair of eyes and a detailed approach to the game. By many accounts, it was Dawkins who convinced sophomore Nolan Smith to commit to Duke.
Once Dawkins left, Smith had to take time to reflect on his changed college experience.
"I came with him being the uncle figure for me here and someone who I followed my whole career, so it was definitely unexpected to see him leave," said Smith, whose late father, Derek, played with Dawkins on the Philadelphia 76ers. "I stayed here because we have the best coaching staff here.... He left me as the best player I could be."
It is the personal relationships that will be the hardest to make up for, but some players don't plan on necessarily looking for a replacement for Dawkins.
After all, his presence on the Left Coast doesn't minimize the mark Dawkins left on his proteges.
"He's been a great mentor for me while he was here," Henderson said. "He'll continue to be."
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