As 68 teams around the nation prepare for the NCAA tournament, an offseason of player movement, staff movement and retooling begins for those teams that'll be watching the Big Dance from home.
Former Blue Devil Johnny Dawkins was one of many coaches to find themselves out of a job Monday, as Stanford parted ways with its head coach after eight seasons at the helm. Dawkins had an overall record of 156-115 during his years in Palo Alto and led his team to a Sweet 16 appearance in 2014 as well as two NIT championships.
The Cardinal were picked to finish ninth in the Pac-12 coming into the season and after going just 8-10 in conference play, Dawkins' squad ended with a 15-15 record. Although his team recorded wins against top-three seeds Oregon and Utah, the 52-year old was shown the door from his first head coaching position.
Dawkins played at Duke from 1982-86 and reached the NCAA championship game in his senior season after the Blue Devils finished 37-3. Following the season, the guard was selected 10th in the 1986 NBA draft by the San Antonio Spurs. Dawkins averaged 11.1 points and 5.5 assists per game during the course of his nine-year career.
Dawkins' ties with his former head coach Mike Krzyzewski brought him back to Durham in 1998 as he joined the Blue Devil coaching staff. Dawkins became the team's associate head coach in 1999 and served in the position until April 2008 when he was named the head coach at Stanford.
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