Duke's first great guard under Coach K — the foundation of the Blue Devils dynasty.
John Earl Dawkins Jr. was born in Washington DC in 1963. He attended Duke University under coach Mike Krzyzewski and became the program's first truly great guard in the Krzyzewski era — laying the foundation for the dynasty that followed. He averaged 19.3 points and 5.1 assists per game across four seasons. He won the Naismith Award as national player of the year in 1986. He was a two-time consensus All-American and ACC Player of the Year. He led Duke to the 1986 national championship game — losing to Louisville and Pervis Ellison. San Antonio Spurs selected him tenth overall in the 1986 NBA Draft. His professional career was solid without being spectacular. His Duke career — four years of excellence that helped establish Krzyzewski's culture and system — was the necessary first chapter in one of college basketball's greatest coaching dynasties. He later became head coach at Stanford University. His combination of scoring, playmaking and the competitive intensity that Krzyzewski's system demands made him the template for all subsequent Duke guards.
Naismith Award (1986)
Career Honours
- Naismith Award (1986)
- ACC Player of Year
- All-American 2x
- Consensus All-American