Patience Pays for Duke's Johnny Dawkins
Former Blue Devils Player and Assistant Coach Is Stanford Head Coach
Nov 23, 2008
You name it and former Duke basketball star, Johnny Dawkins, has done it. Nearly three decades removed from his days at Mackin High School in Washington D.C., Dawkins' career as a high school, college and NBA basketball star has ended. Dawkins' life in basketball, however, is far from finished.
Unlike coaches like Florida's Billy Donovan and the Cleveland Cavaliers' Mike Brown, both of whom were fast-tracked to head coaching positions at very young ages, Dawkins had plenty of playing to do and even more work as an assistant coach, before he was ready for his first job as a head college basketball coach. Dawkins was named head coach at Stanford University in the spring of 2008.
Johnny Dawkins Path to Coaching Success
Johnny Dawkins was never in a big hurry to get to the big chair. Dawkins' had a blueprint for success that was as carefully-planned as the strategy he helped devise on gamedays, when assisting legendary Mike Krzyzewski at Duke for 10 seasons. After a brilliant Duke basketball career as a player, the NBA came calling, and Dawkins couldn't pass up the opportunity. Dawkins had an excellent nine seasons in the NBA, playing for three teams and averaging over 11 points, and 5.5 rebounds per game. It wasn't difficult for Dawkins to say Goodbye to professional basketball, though, because he knew his old home, Duke University, and his old coach Mike Krzyzewski were waiting.
Dawkins' Work as a Coach at Duke
Upon his return to Duke, Johnny Dawkins wanted to earn his way to a seat next to Mike Krzyzewski, so he spent a year working as an administrative intern, before working a season as a Duke basketball radio/TV analyst. In 1998, Dawkins was named assistant basketball coach at Duke, and just one season later, he was elevated to associate head coach.
Dawkins was much more than an assistant coach, during his work with the Blue Devils. He helped make Duke the face of college basketball that it has become known as. "In my 28 years at Duke, no one did more to build this program as a player, a coach and a person than Johnny Dawkins," Coach Krzyzewski said in a statement, when Dawkins was hired as Stanford's head coach in the spring of 2008.
A key to Dawkins' success is his genuinely agreeable personality and remarkable attention to detail. Duke players love Dawkins, some even suggesting he has been like a father. While always visible on Duke's sideline, Dawkins has diverted attention from him, perhaps one reason he didn't receive more head coaching offers sooner. For his part, Dawkins has never been in a hurry to leave Duke. He waited patiently for the right job, and what could be better than Stanford? Unless Coach K. leaves Duke and his alma mater comes calling.
Dawkins' Future
Although Dawkins career at Stanford is just beginning, Duke people are already beginning to speculate about how long Dawkins will remain in Palo Alto. Even Stanford athletic director Bob Bowlsby suggested that Dawkins was in line to replace Mike Krzyzewski, when he retires.
Dawkins may indeed be in line for Coach K's job -- arguably the most-coveted position in college basketball. One thing is certain, though; no matter when the Duke job opens and if he's considered to replace Mike Krzyzewski, Johnny Dawkins will do what he's always done before making a move.
He'll be patient.
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