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<p>The giant of a man with an even larger NBA legend who was sitting in the Stabler Arena stands to watch him work out seemed to be making Willie Chandler a little nervous.</p><p>&#8220;He was sitting there, sitting there,&#8221; Chandler said. &#8220;He made me feel uncomfortable.</p><p>&#8220;It was kind of intimidating.&#8221;</p><p>That turned out to be the only time Chandler felt edgy around Darryl Dawkins.</p><p>Before he passed away from an apparent heart attack Thursday at the age of 58, Dawkins left a lasting impression on Chandler - and many others like him who played for the United States Basketball League&#8217;s Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs.</p><p>Dawkins coached that minor league basketball team in the Lehigh Valley for more than six seasons, and made Chandler - Misericordia University&#8217;s all-time leading scorer - his first-round draft pick in 2003.</p><p>&#8220;I had four great years playing for him,&#8221; said Chandler, who spent the past four seasons as a Misericordia men&#8217;s basketball assistant coach. &#8220;He was the nicest guy in the world. He made my playing career a thousand times better when I got out of college. He took a chance on a kid from Misericordia, and he did a lot for me. We had guys from Duke, from North Carolina, and he made me feel wanted.</p><p>&#8220;He made me feel comfortable.&#8221;</p><p>Not to mention Chandler&#8217;s buddies.</p><p>&#8220;At my first ValleyDawgs game, all my friends were there,&#8221; Chandler said, &#8220;and he (Dawkins) was joking with them like he&#8217;d known them forever. It was almost surreal.&#8221;</p><p>Dawkins made his reputation as a 6-foot-11 man-child, a rim-wrecking dunking machine nicknamed &#8220;Chocolate Thunder&#8221; during his NBA days, primarly with the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets after being drafted as an 18-year-old kid out of high school. But his flamboyance continued long after his playing days ended, as Dawkins&#8217; always-approachable personality and loud suits - from neon green to electric yellow - dazzled crowds with delight at ValleyDawgs games.</p><p>He was the star attraction of a Pennsylvania team that twice played for the USBL championship and won the 2004 title, all the while dreaming of landing an NBA coaching job before the Bethlehem-based team folded in 2007 and the USBL disbanded in 2008.</p><p>Dawkins never did realize his dream of coaching in the NBA, but that didn&#8217;t stop him from influencing just about everyone he came in contact with.</p><p>&#8220;What a great guy,&#8221; said former Misericordia basketball coach Dave Martin, now the University of Scranton athletic director who met Dawkins during Chandler&#8217;s workout for the ValleyDawgs 12 years ago. &#8220;He called me about Willie. I went down and had dinner with him. He was so personable. He was just a guy who was full of life. He was kind of like Magic Johnson, when he walked in the room, the room lit up.&#8221;</p><p>Actually, Dawkins always seemed to be glowing.</p><p>&#8220;He had a canary-yellow Hummer, at the time Hummers were a big thing,&#8221; Martin said. &#8220;You could see him coming a mile away. It kind of fit his personality.</p><p>&#8220;You knew when Chocolate Thunder was coming.&#8221;</p><p>During his first days with the ValleyDawgs, Chandler didn&#8217;t know if he belonged as he rode the bench for more than a month.</p><p>&#8220;For five or six games, I didn&#8217;t play at all,&#8221; Chandler said. &#8220;But he was always positive with me - &#8216;Will, stay positive, we know what you can do. We have older guys like Ronnie Fields who have been here, let them teach you what to do.&#8217; On road trips, I had to make sure I was in the van with Darryl Dawkins. His stories, his old NBA stories, made a three-hour ride seem like a half-hour. It never got dull.</p><p>&#8220;It was a great experience my four years playing for him.&#8221;</p><p>Long after his playing days were done, Chandler felt a lasting electricity during chance meetings with Dawkins, who was a regular at 76ers home games.</p><p>&#8220;I actually just saw him at a 76ers&#8217; game,&#8221; Chandler said. &#8220;He called me over - &#8216;Chandler, get over here,&#8217; - gave me a big hug. We caught up a little bit. I was close with his family, also. He&#8217;d been up to Scranton before, making appearances up there a lot. I tried to stay in touch with him as much as possible.&#8221;</p><p>Dawkins, who became close friends with Easton&#8217;s Larry Holmes, remained in the Lehigh Valley area following his days as the ValleyDawgs coach and died at Lehigh Valley Hospital.</p><p>&#8220;He died way too young,&#8221; Chandler said. &#8220;His passing&#8217;s very sad. I&#8217;m very upset about it. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family. They don&#8217;t make anyone like him anymore. He was a different breed.</p><p>&#8220;There will never be another Darryl Dawkins.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Former NBA standout Darryl Dawkins, right, was a big attraction and the center of attention long after his playing days ended before he passed away from an apparent heart attack Thursday at the age of 58. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_dawkins.jpg</photo0><caption0>Former NBA standout Darryl Dawkins, right, was a big attraction and the center of attention long after his playing days ended before he passed away from an apparent heart attack Thursday at the age of 58. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Darryl Dawkins left lasting impression on area basketball tandem</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Paul Sokoloski</p><p>psokoloski@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Paul Sokoloski at 570-991-6392 or on Twitter @TLPaulSokoloski</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Remembering a marvel of a man