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Stanford Cardinal's head coach Trent Johnson yells during their game against the UCLA Bruins in the second half for the final of the 2008 Men's Pac10 Tournament at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif. on Saturday, March 15, 2008. (Nhat V. Meyer/Mercury News)

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Trent Johnson attended the Stanford basketball team banquet Wednesday evening.

Today, he'll be introduced as the coach at Louisiana State University.

The stunning turn of events unfolded Wednesday after Johnson, the Pacific-10 Coach of the Year, led Stanford to 28 victories and its first Sweet 16 berth since 2001. And it follows Johnson's seven-month wait for a contract extension that never came.

"I'm very disappointed that he's leaving," said Anthony B. Joseph, who has endowed the men's basketball coaching position. "I don't think it had to happen. Trent has incredible integrity, and he'll be hard to replace."

Because Johnson had not tendered his resignation as of Wednesday afternoon, Stanford athletic director Bob Bowlsby declined to comment about the impact of Johnson's departure.

The most obvious candidate a week ago, Mike Montgomery, is no longer available, or so it would seem. Montgomery, the longtime Stanford coach who had been assisting Bowlsby and working as a TV analyst, took the Cal job last Friday. But longtime Stanford watchers are wondering if Montgomery, who has not signed a contract with Cal, would return to The Farm.

Montgomery did not return phone calls Wednesday but issued the following statement to the Oakland Tribune:

"I am the head basketball coach at the University of California. I am excited about the challenges that lie ahead and look forward to competing for a Pac-10 championship."

Johnson,

"I think the job probably pays twice what he's making here, and so I think it's reasonable that he would be interested in it," Bowlsby said.

Johnson declined to comment, but numerous sources said that Johnson badly wanted to remain at Stanford, where he served as an assistant to Montgomery from 1996-99.

After five years at Nevada, Johnson returned in May 2004 to replace Montgomery, who had been hired by the Warriors.

"Trent told me last week that he wanted to die in Maples Pavilion," said a source close to Johnson.

Johnson's five-year contract was due to expire after next season, meaning he had one year left - an unusual circumstance for any coach, let alone one who'd just reached the Sweet 16.

"There wasn't any hold up, except doing contacts during the season ... he's got other things to deal with," Bowlsby said. "We started it before the season and to be quite frank about it, coaches are easier to deal with when they're not in season.

"I never got any impression that he was troubled by it and I certainly didn't have any reason that we were holding it up."

Johnson and Bowlsby met last week, five days after Stanford's season-ending loss to Texas, and didn't reach an agreement. At the time, Bowlsby told the Mercury News that it would be 'a short process which will keep Trent at Stanford for the foreseeable future."

Multiple sources said Bowlsby had not made a firm offer by the time Johnson departed last week for the Final Four. He had what sources categorized as "preliminary talks" with LSU officials Sunday.

The negotiations heated up quickly. By Wednesday, Johnson had an offer from LSU and no extension from Stanford. He told his staff and players, and word spread quickly.

Approached outside the athletic department, guard Anthony Goods and forward Will Paul declined to comment.

"I didn't think anything like this would happen," said recruit Miles Plumlee, a North Carolina high schooler who's expected to enroll in the fall.

Asked if he was still committed to Stanford, Plumlee said: "I've got to see how this turns out. But as of now, that's the school I've always wanted to go to."

Johnson has taken two teams (Nevada and Stanford) to the Sweet 16 in the past five years and is one of the most accomplished African American coaches in the country. He will become the first black men's basketball in LSU history.

In four seasons at Stanford, Johnson was 80-48 overall and 45-27 in Pac-10 play.

"I felt like he was a great fit, great for our league," USC Coach Tim Floyd said. "I'm really shocked that he wasn't retained, that it didn't work out there."