Johnny Dawkins' tenure as Stanford head coach has come to a close after eight years, the school announced earlier Monday.
While the program recruited well and achieved its share of success, the Cardinal played in only one NCAA Tournament and never finished better than 10-8 in conference play under Dawkins' guidance.
Now, athletic director Bernard Muir will shift his focus to identifying Dawkins' replacement.
Here's a list of potential candidates.
RELATED: Thoughts on the Dawkins tenure ($$) | More coaching names ($$)
The big names - High Major conference winners
Tony Bennett | Virginia
Bio: The 46-year-old Wisconsin native has been the head coach at Virginia since 2009. He has compiled a 162-71 record in seven years with the Cavaliers. He previously guided Washington State to two NCAA Tournament berths in three years in Pullman. Bennett is the son of longtime college coach Dick Bennett.
Salary: $2.1 million per report
Why: Simply, Bennett is one of the best coaches in the nation. His success at Washington State and Virginia is ample evidence of that. He did spend six years at Washington State, so he is familiar with the Pac-12. He's a proven winner at the highest levels of college basketball.
Why not: Bennett has an expensive buyout (reportedly $3 million) that might be prohibitive. Moreover, it might be hard for Stanford to top Bennett's annual compensation by sufficiently substantial margin. Most of all, there's little indication that Bennett is eager to leave Virginia and the competitive ACC, so this should probably be considered a longshot at best.
Jamie Dixon | Pittsburgh
Bio: Dixon, a Los Angeles native with extensive West Coast ties, has been the head coach at Pitt since 2003. He took the Panthers to NCAA Tournament appearances in his first eight years on the job and 10 of 13 overall. He has an overall head coaching record of 327-120.
Salary: Reportedly made $3.2 million in 2014
Why: Dixon has a proven track record in challenging conferences (first when Pitt was in the Big East, then the ACC). He is a West Coast native, which might make the prospect of leaving Pitt for Stanford appealing. Pitt's (relative) lack of success in the last few seasons might make a transition more likely.
Why not: He'd likely be taking a pay cut to come to Stanford, for one. Pitt has only made the NCAA Tournament in two of the last five seasons and neither of the last two. Dixon is an established figure at Pitt - he's coached there since 1999 in one capacity or another.
Wayne Tinkle
Bio: Tinkle has worked wonders since arriving at Oregon State following a lengthy and successful tenure at Montana. This season, only his second in Corvallis, he guided the Beavers to their first NCAA Tournament since 1990. That follows on the heels of 158-91 record in eight seasons at Montana, his alma mater.
Salary: Tinkle's current six-year contract reportedly averages $1.1 million per year plus incentives.
Why: His record speaks for itself. Tinkle turned around a struggling Beaver program in no time and led Montana to the NCAA Tournament in two of his final three years in Missoula. He has a strong connection to Stanford - Tinkle's daughter, Joslyn, played for Tara VanDerveer and the women's hoops program a few years back. Plus, the last time Stanford hired a basketball coach from Montana it worked out OK.
Why not: Family, for one. Tinkle's son, Tres, is a freshman at Oregon State. Tinkle's coaching career is not of someone who is eager to move - he's only coached at two programs, first for five years as an assistant at Montana, then eight years as the head coach there, before moving to Oregon State. Stanford's offer would be competitive financially, but would he leave Corvallis after two years - and for another Pac-12 program, at that- with his son staying behind? It seems to be an unlikely scenario.
Mid-major coaches
Russell Turner | UC Irvine
Bio: The former Stanford assistant (Turner worked under Mike Montgomery from 2000-2004) has been the head coach at UC Irvine since the 2010-2011 season. Turner worked with the Golden State Warriors from 2004-2010.
2015 Salary: $310,000
Why: Turner has turned UC Irvine's program around from one of the worst in the Big West to one of the best. The Anteaters made the NCAA Tournament in 2014-2015 and have won 25 games thus far in 2015-2016. Turner checks a lot of boxes - he has Stanford ties, he'd be affordable and he's had success as a head coach.
Why not: He's not a big name like some of the other coaches on this list. Winning at UC Irvine is one thing; achieving a similar level of success in the Pac-12 is quite another.
Archie Miller | Dayton
Bio: Miller has been the head coach at Dayton since 2011, where he has compiled a record of 115-54. He worked as an assistant at Arizona, Arizona State, Ohio State, N.C. State (his alma mater) and Western Kentucky.
2015 Salary: $652,049
Why: Stanford knows all too well what Miller's teams are capable of - the Cardinal fell to Dayton in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Moreover, the Flyers have reached the NCAA Tournament in three straight years - they've won at least 25 games in each. Miller is widely considered one of the top young coaches in the country.
Why not: Would Miller opt to hold out for an opening at a more traditional basketball powerhouse? Would he be uncomfortable coaching in the same conference as his older brother? Aside from a few years as an assistant at Arizona and Arizona State, Miller doesn't have many West Coast ties.
Randy Bennett | Saint Mary's
Bio: Bennett has been the head coach at Saint Mary's since 2001. He previously served as an assistant at Saint Louis, Pepperdine, San Diego and Idaho.
Salary: N/A
Why: Few mid-major head coaches have achieved as much as Bennett has in Moraga. The Gaels have won 20-plus games in nine straight seasons and have made the NCAA Tournament in three of the last seven.
Why not: In addition to the fact that Bennett might be a lifer at Saint Mary's and is likely already well compensated, his issues with the NCAA raise a huge red flag that could very well remove him from even preliminary consideration. Bennett was suspended for five games and St. Mary's was docked scholarships and received other NCAA sanctions for recruiting violations.
The Wildcards
Jarron Collins | Golden State Warriors assistant
Bio: Collins starred at Stanford from 1997-2001 before embarking on a decade-long career in the NBA. He's been an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors since 2014.
Salary: N/A
Why: Collins' name still resonates with Stanford fans, who remember his contributions to the program during its golden years. Additionally, he's worked as an assistant for the last few years with one of the best franchises in the NBA, where has undoubtedly absorbed plenty of knowledge about winning basketball.
Why not: Collins might be a big name, but he lacks experience. He has only coached basketball for two seasons, 2014-2015 and 2015-2016, though he did work as a scout for the Clippers in 2013. Plus, he has no experience coaching or recruiting at the college level. The NBA season will extend into June - would he be willing to forego a possible second straight NBA title to join a college program?
Luke Walton | Golden State Warriors assistant
Bio: After a strong career at the University of Arizona, Walton spent a decade as a player in the NBA, mostly with the Los Angeles Lakers. He's been an assistant for the Golden State Warriors since 2014; he previously had a brief stint at the University of Memphis and the NBA D-League.
Salary: N/A:
Why: Walton doesn't have a ton of coaching experience, either. But he did a terrific job as the interim head coach of the Warriors earlier this season, amassing a 39-4 record in Steve Kerr's absence, and is expected to be a prime candidate for NBA head coaching jobs this offseason. He's young and a well-known name in basketball circles. Plus, Bill Walton would make for the greatest recruiting coordinator in the history of the world and society as we know it.
Why not: Like Collins, Walton has minimal experience as a college coach and limited experience as a coach, period. College coaching and recruiting would be new to him. Additionally, he very might well decide to hold out for an NBA opportunity. And as is the case for Collins, would he leave Golden State before a possible championship run?
Mark Madsen | Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach
Bio: Madsen was a first-round pick of the Los Angeles Lakers after a terrific career as a player at Stanford. He concluded his NBA career with a lengthy stint with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He has worked as an assistant for the Lakers since 2013. He previously was the head coach of the NBA D-League's Los Angeles defenders, an assistant coach under Johnny Dawkins at Stanford and an assistant with the D-League's Utah Blaze.
Salary: N/A
Why: An iconic name in the Stanford hoops program, Madsen has accumulated a variety of coaching experience, albeit mostly at the professional level. His enthusiasm for the game and ties to the Cardinal program could help in recruiting and in generating excitement among the fanbase.
Why not: Again, limited experience, both as a head coach and in the college ranks. His career path has pointed the direction of the professional coaching ranks rather than college.
