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Former Duke Star Dawkins Fired, Lauded

Japanese publishers send rejection letters asking the writer to forgive their inability to understand their brilliance. At Stanford though, the regret seems very real.

By JD King

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Nov 22, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach Johnny Dawkins and Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski meet at mid-court following the second half at Barclays Center. Duke defeated Stanford 70-59.
Nov 22, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach Johnny Dawkins and Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski meet at mid-court following the second half at Barclays Center. Duke defeated Stanford 70-59.
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Stanford cut Johnny Dawkins loose on Monday and while getting fired is no fun, we're not sure we've ever heard nicer things about a canned coach than what they're saying on The Farm. Check it out:

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A.D. Bernard Muir: "This decision was not easy, and it was a very difficult discussion for both Johnny and me, but like everything else during his tenure at Stanford, he handled it with class, respect and the utmost concern for his student-athletes...There are so many great things that Johnny was able to accomplish on The Farm, including improving the graduation rate, achieving an Academic Progress Rate of 1000, an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance and two NIT championships. The student-athletes Johnny coached during his tenure at Stanford represented the University with class and humility."

Stanford women's coach Tara VanDerveer: "I don’t believe they can hire a better man. He’s a fabulous person. He is a class act in everything he does. … Quite honestly, he handled it better than I did. I was really upset. … I love him, and we’ll miss him terribly."

Dawkins will wake up Tuesday morning unemployed and that won't feel very good. But honestly, when was the last time you heard that level of admiration for a guy who was just let go?

He's got a lot to be proud of.

The early names associated with the opening are Tommy Amaker (surprise), Archie Miller, Russell Turner (UC Irvine), Brad Underwood (Stephen F. Austin) and King Rice of Monmouth and who is of course a UNC product.

We don't know much about the academics at Monmouth, but the only guy on this list who is prepared to handle the academics at Stanford is Amaker and who knows if he wants to make a move.

We heard early on that Dawkins and staff were surprised by how difficult admissions were at Stanford and that isn't likely to change much.

He was in many ways a great fit, as indicated by the comments above. Whoever follows him will have a lot of work to do, not least of all when it comes to identifying recruits who can get in. Mike Montgomery did miracles there, Dawkins was solid, but it's not an easy job. Far from it.

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