Sports -U Basketball

"I'm giving them real-life perspective and been there, done that," Dawkins said. "Don't do like I did. Do like I say. I'm not going to mislead one child. "I'm enjoying it more than I think the kids are."

The moment Dawkins walked into the gym with his 6-foot-11 frame, his ever-present smile and his legend preceding him, he had the kids' attention.

Many knew he shattered backboards to smithereens and jumped from high school to the pros. But what some of the kids and their parents didn't know was how committed Dawkins would be as co-head coach with Brian Coleman for Sports University, the team based out of Fairfield where the facility bearing that name is. They learned immediately Dawkins was all in.

Whenever there is practice, Dawkins makes the nearly two-hour trip from Allentown to be there. "He's there early," said team president and general manager Ed Bright, who asked Dawkins to join his staff. "That's how much he loves the kids."

"We got involved because we want to see these kids do well," Dawkins said. "Ed said, 'I want to help these kids.' I said, 'You're talking kids, you're talking right down my line.' He said, 'I want you to make most of the games.' I started to come to practice." The kids appreciate Dawkins, who helped them win a youth tournament last April in Iceland. Robbie Joe, now a sophomore point guard at St. Anthony, said the team would not have won the state tourney without Dawkins.

Joe said Dawkins always tells stories about his playing career and his life. He also keeps everyone loose because he's always having fun. "The only time he's really serious is during the games," Joe said. "He's laughing a lot. During the timeouts he's joking a lot."

This should come as no surprise.

"They call me the gentle giant," Dawkins said. "I have a gentleness about me, [so] I can reach the kids. I realize that we can't reach every kid, but if we can reach the one or two or three that can reach three more, we're doing a good job."

Dawkins speaks the gospels of Bill Cosby, Chuck Daly and some less-famous people such as his mother, godfather and pastor when dealing with the players and his own kids. As much as he's grown, though, he's still Darryl Dawkins and loves having fun. "I get out there with them," he said. "We do layup drills and I block shots. Every young kid thinks they can jump over you. When you're blocking shots and talk trash, it's a fun situation.

"I just love being around the kids. Being 52 years old, you don't want to get old. You want to stay involved in it, and it makes you feel young all the time. The kids will call you old, but you feel younger around them." He's right. Joe was asked if he's seen Dawkins dunk. "He doesn't try dunking," Joe said. "I think he's a little too old for that."

Dawkins has been a head coach before – for the Newark Express of American Basketball Association and Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs of the USBL. He said if he ever got to coach in the NBA, he would want to be an assistant. But he's happy where he is now. "I'm proud to say I don't have a job," Dawkins said. "I do community relations and maybe go out and talk to kids. It's not for the pay. It's just to give back and to have a good feeling about myself."