ESPN reports that Stanford has offered its open head coaching position to Duke assistant coach Johnny Dawkins, and that Dawkins has accepted. Dawkins currently serves as associate head coach at Duke; he played at Duke from 1982-86, and was twice named to the  All-America team at point guard, and where he returned as an assistant coach in 1998. He also serves as an assistant on the US National team under Coach K.

In one sense, Dawkins is not a bad choice to enter the farm, in that he has experience in recruiting to a school that has strong academic requirements (whatever we may think of Duke/Coach K, they are not Memphis, or SC). It seems that Dawkins is held with some esteem by the Duke fanbase; a quick look at the Duke boards paints a picture of a well respected assistant, with some seeing him as a possible successor to coach K. On the other hand, the track record of Coach K's former assistant coaches after being given head jobs does not strike fear into opponents' hearts (see messrs. Amaker and Snyder).

Not a bad hire in my opinion, but not a hire that I see threatening UCLA's leadership of the Pac-10.