At the very beginning of the Duke bench, even in front of coach Mike Krzyzewski, is a tall skinny man with a rather oval face. He does not say much--except when he answers ESPN's halftime questions for Krzyzewski--and rarely shows much emotion unless he's calming down a player or another coach.
His name is Johnny Dawkins and he's the associate head coach of one of the premier college basketball teams in the country. The title "associate" simply means that his only superior on the team is Krzyzewski.
The name "Dawkins" may be better known for his playing days--his jersey, No. 24, hangs with nine others in the rafters of Cameron Indoor Stadium. During his tenure as a player, he was an All-American, a national player of the year and four points shy of being a national champion. Dawkins also scored a total of 2,556 points, a school record that has not yet been broken.
"Johnny loves Duke," Krzyzewski said. "As good a player as he's been--and arguably he might be the best ever at Duke--he's been as good an associate head coach. He's a very special guy, and he makes me a lot better."
How the Washington, D.C., native makes his mentor a lot better is one of the tightest kept secrets of the Duke basketball program. From the outside, it looks as if Dawkins does nothing but watch, and thus it's only fitting that Krzyzewski's biggest praise of him is his "tremendous insights into the game." In the halls of Cameron and around campus he is rarely seen talking, but rather just goes about his business. Even in the pre-game warm-up, he stands there quietly, as if he's studying the game.
However, the soft spoken man is quick to quell the notion that he does not contribute much verbally during games.
"We throw comments around on the bench while we're sitting there you may not always see it. This is a key sign for when something's being said," said Dawkins, demonstrating how he tries to remain inconspicuous by carefully covering his mouth with his hand as if he was resting his head upon it.
"We make suggestions.... It's ultimately Coach's decision to do what he's going to do. But, if we see something that's going wrong or we see something that could be enhanced, we say it. I say what I need to say, believe me," Dawkins said.
As a former guard himself, Dawkins assists with the cornerstone of Krzyzewski's program--the backcourt. This is a near-perfect fit, and as one of his prime students, Chris Duhon said, the four-year starter has a good handle on how to play both the point and two-guard positions.
According to Duhon and Jason Williams, it is his teaching ability both on and off the court that makes Dawkins a great coach.
"There's never one specific thing with him," Williams said. "There's always something new with him and he's always there to provide it for you."
That Dawkins is black, Duhon explained, is a benefit, because he is more aware of some of the problems his players may face, and can sometimes be a better asset for them.
Dawkins youthfulness provides a foil to Krzyzewski. As the older guard of college basketball begins to leave and many programs move to younger energetic coaches like Matt Doherty at North Carolina or Billy Donovan at Florida, Krzyzewski said his younger associate and assistants can help bridge any age gap.
But the modest Dawkins--now 38--said that even if Krzyzewski's hairline has receded over the years, he still remains young at heart.
Although he would eventually like to become a head coach, Dawkins maintains that he is in no rush, mainly because he loves his job and the University. He said he's more concerned with the happiness of his wife and children, and thus he's turned down numerous "serious inquiries," including one in the past few weeks.
"I would think that there's a chance that Johnny would be here for a while," Krzyzewski said.
"Maybe as long as I'm here and if I'm not here, I think he would be one of the guys who would be considered to take over, but he's not pushing me out the door."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.