Chocolate Thunder left a lasting impression in Winnipeg

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This article was published 09/02/2024 (610 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In a weekly series in February in honour of Black History Month, Taylor Allen highlights the stories and accomplishments of Black athletes and coaches in Manitoba.

How did one of the most charismatic figures in basketball history wind up coaching a minor-league team in Winnipeg?

The story begins with local businessman Earl Barish coming across an article about the coach of a female basketball team. It was Darryl Dawkins, a 6-11 centre who spent parts of 14 seasons in the NBA and was renowned for his backboard-shattering dunks.

The man with no shortage of nicknames (most notably Chocolate Thunder) who touted himself as a resident of “Planet Lovetron” had worked with a freshman girls team at a New Jersey high school before taking a job with a women’s club in the Italian Serie D league.

Barish, the owner of the Winnipeg Cyclone during its six-year existence (1995-2001) in the International Basketball Association (IBA), had an idea.

He wanted Dawkins, a standout with the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets in his prime, to coach the Cyclone.

“Over the years in my business career, I read things and when I look at an article, it’s from a point of view of, ‘How can this perhaps help me and the business I’m involved in?’ That’s sort of who I’ve been,” says Barish, 81, who built Dickie Dee Ice Cream into a successful venture before becoming the majority owner of Salisbury House.

“You’d be amazed that you can move mountains if you have an attitude like that.”

Alex English, a basketball hall-of-famer and an eight-time NBA all-star, was the IBA’s commissioner at the time and immediately joined the recruiting effort.

Dawkins wasn’t interested. English passed along his number to the Cyclone, anyway.

“There was a message on my phone machine saying, ‘Manitoba’ had called,” recalled Dawkins, in his 2003 autobiography. He died from a heart attack in 2015 in Pennsylvania at the age of 58.

“Who? I don’t know no mother——er named Manitoba. Must be the wrong number,” he wrote.

After inviting Dawkins north to show the big man what, not who, Manitoba was, the Cyclone offered a deal that paid just under $3,000 a month plus a car and a place to stay.

The first player to enter the NBA straight from high school was impressed with the Convention Centre — the downtown home of the Cyclone — Winnipeg’s restaurant scene and nightlife.

He put pen to paper, ultimately guiding the squad for a pair of seasons (1998-2000).

“He joked about the cold and the weather, but he truly enjoyed his time in Canada,” says Janice Dawkins, who began dating him shortly after his time in Winnipeg. “My husband loved travelling. He loved being in cities that embraced him, and he always felt embraced there.”

The hiring created a bit of a buzz at first. ESPN Magazine even sent a reporter to the Manitoba capital to write a feature story on Dawkins for their January 1999 edition.

He was named the co-coach of the year for leading the Cyclone to first place in the Western Division in 1998-99.

“He was not great at Xs and Os. That wasn’t his strength. He was a players coach, and he was one of the guys,” remembers Barish. “He carried himself well because of what he had accomplished, so players had a high regard and high respect for him. He was as personable as can be.”

Dawkins, however, was definitely no pushover.

“Once when he was releasing players after training camp, one long-time veteran player was very aggressive towards him which, of course, was not a great idea because (Dawkins was) bigger than everybody,” says Rob Berkowitz, who served as director of operations for the Cyclone.

“(Dawkins) did nothing inappropriate. He just told the player they’d be moving on from him. The player came back, and I guess got brave and basically dressed down Darryl in front of all the players and made some sort of reference to having a bat in his car. And Darryl said, ‘Go get the bat, because you’re gonna need it!’”

Dawkins wasn’t content to just patrol the sideline. In his second season as coach, he actually suited up for 18 games for Winnipeg, donning the very number he made famous, 53, in the NBA. He averaged 3.8 points and 3.9 rebounds before giving up his roster spot to home-grown athlete Dan Becker.

“I remember one time we were messing up, so (Dawkins) made us run lines. I was one of the older guys, and I was kind of rolling my eyes, so he goes, ‘Oh, Dan Becker over there doesn’t think he has to run.’ He’d kind of call you out and keep you in line,” says Becker, who played pro overseas and had a tryout with the NBA’s Indiana Pacers in 1991.

“He was a strong presence and very interesting to play for. I enjoyed it… he was just a character and a loveable guy.”

Ask anyone involved with the Cyclone at that time and they’d be sure to mention Dawkins’ fashion sense. He’d show up on game days wearing a flashy suit that would have made late NBA reporter Craig Sager and ex-NHL commentator Don Cherry proud.

“I mean, they were the most audacious colours that anybody could imagine,” says Barish. “I think he had a connection with the Mr. Big and Tall that operated in Winnipeg. I don’t know where they went to get these suits for this man.”

Janice has three closets dedicated to her husband’s dazzling collection.

“My son (Nicholas, a football player at Penn State) is not as tall as my husband, but he wants me to keep them all. There’s literally every colour of the rainbow. I honestly think he had well over 200 suits,” she says.

The arrival of Dawkins didn’t solve the woes of the Cyclone. While he attended no shortage of community events and was great with fans, his time with the organization didn’t move the needle. Severe attendance issues forced the team to cease operations in August 2001. The IBA closed shop as well.

The city went over two decades without a pro hoops team before the Winnipeg Sea Bears took the Canadian Elite Basketball League by storm in 2023.

After leaving the prairies, Dawkins coached the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs to a pair of United States Basketball League titles. Barish and Berkowitz continued to stay in touch with him over the years.

Dawkins’ time with the Cyclone was only a brief chapter in a storied career, but Winnipeg basketball fans still talk about the larger-than-life personality who came to a Canadian city he couldn’t have pointed out on a map before arriving here.

“Darryl had a gift and unique ability to make a strong and lasting impression on anyone that he came in contact with,” says Berkowitz. “People were naturally drawn to him and felt better about themselves when he was in their presence. He impacted many during his short time in Winnipeg.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

X: @TaylorAllen31