Palo Alto, CA (Best E Casino) - Stanford University hired former Duke assistant Johnny Dawkins as its new men's basketball coach, on Saturday, replacing the departed Trent Johnson.

Dawkins becomes the 17th head coach in team history as well as the first head man at Stanford without previous head coaching experience since Dick DiBiaso was hired in 1975. The 44-year-old has spent the last 11 seasons under Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski at Duke, where he also enjoyed an All-American career as a player before moving on to the NBA.

Krzyzewski's top aide for the past seven years, Dawkins' name had been mentioned in connection with a number of job openings in recent years, most notably the Georgetown position that ultimately was assumed by John Thompson III. Dawkins, however, intimated in the past that he would only leave Duke for a head coaching job at a school with high academic standards as well as a competitive basketball program.

"We are thrilled to welcome Johnny and his family to Stanford," said director of athletics Bob Bowlsby. "His credentials as a player, combined with his coaching experience gained at a university such as Duke, made him a perfect fit for Stanford. The philosophies of the two programs both on the court and in the classroom are very similar."

Stanford, which went 28-8 and reached the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 this past season under Johnson, appears to fit that description. The Cardinal will lose their two leading scorers, twin sophomore centers Brook and Robin Lopez, who declared for the NBA Draft, but return three rising-senior starters in Mitch Johnson, Anthony Goods and Lawrence Hill.

Johnson left Palo Alto for the vacant LSU head coaching job earlier this month after a four-year tenure with the Cardinal. He compiled an 80-48 record, reaching the tournament in each of the past two seasons. Prior to arriving at Stanford, he took Nevada to the NCAAs four times.