Fansided

Stanford fires head basketball coach Johnny Dawkins

By Jason Parker

March 9, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach Johnny Dawkins instructs against the Washington Huskies during the first half of the Pac-12 Conference tournament at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
March 9, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach Johnny Dawkins instructs against the Washington Huskies during the first half of the Pac-12 Conference tournament at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Stanford Cardinal are parting ways with their head basketball coach Johnny Dawkins after eight seasons with the school.

Just five days after their 2015-16 basketball season came to an end with a blowout loss in their Pac-12 Conference Tournament opener against Washington, the Stanford Cardinal are making a change in the program and moving on without their head coach, Johnny Dawkins.

Dawkins, a former standout as a college player at Duke who spent the last eight seasons on the sidelines in Palo Alto, will not be returning for the 2016-17 season:

After a stellar career for the Blue Devils which saw him hold the school’s record for total points for two decades, Dawkins went on to the NBA, where he spent nine seasons playing for the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons.

Dawkins would later return to the college game as an assistant coach at his alma mater for ten seasons before being hired by Stanford prior to the 2008-09 season. Dawkins went to the NCAA Tournament just once during his tenure, advancing to the Sweet 16 during the 2013-14 season. The Cardinal would have more success in the NIT, twice winning the entire tournament (including last season’s victory over the Miami Hurricanes for the title).

Stanford was on the bubble for much of the season’s second half, but seven losses in their final 11 regular season games cemented their fate (despite having a win on their resume over the top seeded Oregon Ducks).

For more NCAA Basketball news, check out our NCAA Basketball hub page.