Indexed locally for search — headlines, people, teams, and short excerpts from reporting originally published in The Morning Call (1998–2010). Full article text on mcall.com; DRE'S TAKE links out and does not republish Morning Call copy.
Darryl Dawkins coached the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs to United States Basketball League titles in 2001 and 2004, and had hoped that his success would land him a job as a head coach in the NBA Development League. He’s still hoping. In the meantime, Dawkins will try to win another…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The United States Basketball League has paid its rent at Dieruff High through seven games, guaranteeing that the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs will have a home gymnasium until at least late May. That may be good news for more than just the defending ValleyDawgs, who are being funded…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs’ potential new owner from Kentucky has backed out, and the navy blue and golden yellow uniforms the team wore the previous six seasons have disappeared. And are you ready for this? The 12 players who suited up in the ‘Dawgs’ United States Basketball…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs may have finally secured financial backing to survive at least another season and are expected to open defense of their United States Basketball League championship Friday night at Dieruff High School. Service Electric Cable president John Walson…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs have the United States Basketball League title again. Now they are in search of bandwagon jumpers in the Lehigh Valley. But they don’t plan on waiting until next season to find them. On Monday, less than 24 hours after beating the Brooklyn Kings for…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs don’t care who, but they want one of their players to get married during the season next year. The tying of vows seems to be the good luck charm the ‘Dawgs need to win a USBL title. Thank you, Marcus Fleming. That was the sentiment Pennsylvania coach…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The “missing link” has finally joined the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs. That’s what ‘Dawgs coach Darryl Dawkins calls Darrin Hancock, a 6-7 forward who played one season at Kansas and has 133 NBA games on his resume. Also on his bio is the USBL title he won last year with Dodge…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs coach Darryl Dawkins did not want to hear any complaints from his players about feeling wobbly legged Saturday night. It would have been understandable since the team did not return to the Lehigh Valley from a five-game road trip in the Midwest until 1…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs have been known for shuffling the roster like a deck of cards in the United States Basketball League. They’ve done that this spring, but appear to be finally done. “I think we have enough talent,” team owner John Walson said. The ‘Dawgs actually may…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs center Frantz Pierre-Louise did not grow up in the Lehigh Valley, did not attend college here, and does not currently live here. But Bethlehem will forever be a special city to him. “This is where I won my championship,” Pierre-Louise said Saturday,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Everything about the way Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs guard Tim Winn played the game Thursday night was considered too erratic to his coach in France, who had asked Winn to walk the ball up the court rather than run and try to create something. “I don’t think he could do it if you…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Antonio Meeking looked like an NFL defensive lineman visiting the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs’ practice Tuesday at Lehigh Carbon Community College. But team vice president and general manager Sam Unera painted a more intimidating picture of the 6-8, 265-pound Meeking, who has…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Former Penn State guard Joe Crispin has a newborn girl and a new house in Glassboro, N.J., that he and his wife, Erin, are close to settling on. And the free-agent contract he signed with the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs last week offered him a new lease on his professional…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Heaven received a prayer from the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs Tuesday night that may forever go unanswered. The prayer is that Saint Joseph’s guard Jameer Nelson goes from his postseason sweep of all the major national player of the year awards to wearing a ValleyDawgs uniform in…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Notre Dame of Green Pond junior Chris Unera busted through the line of scrimmage and mad thoughts rushed through his mind as he stared down the Palisades kicker and holder on an extra-point attempt during a recent Colonial League game. “I didn’t know if I should tackle the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →With crushed hearts and tempers not yet cooled, the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs had hoped a feast at Applebee’s would ease their discontent over losing the United States Basketball League championship by a point Sunday night in Dodge City, Kan. But it didn’t. The controversial way…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →He swarmed the dribbler from one end of the court to the other, and when the ball was passed off, he still stayed on his man like an annoying gnat. It was just practice, but playing pesky defense is just something the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs’ 5-11 guard Tim Winn loves. Even…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Ace Custis experienced the disappointment of his basketball career following a 16-point, eight-rebound performance in just 23 minutes during a 2001 summer league game with the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs had 17 players on the roster that summer, and, though he played well,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs coach Darryl Dawkins is battling the tough odds of joining John Lucas and Eric Mussleman as the only United States Basketball League coaches to be hired as head coaches in the NBA. Is Dawkins ready? He says yes. Is he qualified? He says yes. Is his 88-54…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs were out-jumped, out-dunked and out-hustled by the Dodge City Legend Tuesday night at Stabler Arena. Maybe the ‘Dawgs are not as skilled as Dodge City. The 115-97 loss marked the second time in 10 days they have been subdued by the Legend. The ‘Dawgs…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Willie Chandler scored the second-most points ever in Division III basketball. Now the 6-5 guard from College Misericordia near Scranton is scoring big with the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs and for himself in the United States Basketball League. Chandler scored 2,898 points in four…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The explanations are simple as to why Olden Polynice is so passionate about playing center for the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs after playing 13 years in the NBA. “He doesn’t play to make any money,” said Pennsylvania center Charles Manga from Seton Hall. “He just plays because he…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Confetti will not be dropped from the rafters and fireworks won’t be fired off in the building. No big-named musician will sing the National Anthem. The Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs just want to open their home season at Stabler Arena, please the fans with dunks, long-range…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lehigh University senior Matt Logie might get his chance to play in the same game with, and maybe even pop a jumper in high school phenom LeBron James’ face before Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady or any of the other NBA stars do. That’s providing James, the projected first pick of…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs spent about as much energy trying to beat the Adirondack Wildcats as Lehigh University officials probably used trying to keep Stabler Arena cool Sunday afternoon. Cool play that included slashes through the lane for baskets and high-flying dunks were…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs coach Darryl Dawkins might have pulled his hair out — if he had any — Friday night. And yanking some from his good friend Larry Holmes’ head appeared out of the question. That might have resulted in a fight, something most of the players Dawkins was…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Just about any style of guard the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs could ask for was in uniform for their United States Basketball League game against the Dodge City Legend Sunday night at Stabler Arena. They ranged in size from 5-10 to 6-7. What the ‘Dawgs didn’t have was somebody in…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The United States Basketball League’s decision to hold games on Mother’s Day didn’t help the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs at the Stabler Arena ticket window on Sunday. But, despite playing in front of only 712 fans, the ‘Dawgs (4-4) mustered up enough “Maxey” and execution in clutch…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The sluggishness is still there, otherwise a couple of Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs players would not have botched dunks on two-on-none breaks. “It was just missed concentration, trying to dunk it hard, that’s all,” said ‘Dawgs swingman Cory Hightower. Though comical, neither the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs are starting to look more like the “Breakfast Club” with the way their roster has been scrambled the last two weeks. No lineup has worked. No point guard has impressed coach Darryl Dawkins. No big man outside of 6-9 shot-blocker/rebounding horse…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Off to the side, Mark Lesko stood. Other players were loafing around, some were showboat dunking, throwing the ball off the back wall inside the Lehigh Carbon Community College gymnasium, catching it and then jamming. Others were swishing jumpers from way out. But some of those…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →You have to know that the United States Basketball League is all about giving unsuspecting players a chance to play professionally when a former towel boy is drafted by the defending league champion. Good thing it was in the seventh round, 61st pick overall that the Pennsylvania…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Some players have shown up at the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs tryout camps the last two weeks with a support team which has included girlfriends, wives and family members. Juwan Justice, a 6-4 guard from East Stroudsburg University, has traveled to Lehigh Carbon Community College…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The telephone at the Pennsylvania VallyDawgs headquarters in Easton rang more often than usual Tuesday, but not all the calls were from people wondering if head coach Darryl Dawkins was really serious about wanting to coach at Lehigh University. Inquiring minds, mostly those of…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs knew whom they wanted most and they made all the chess moves earlier in the day to ensure they got him in Tuesday night’s United States Basketball League draft. Head coach Darryl Dawkins made the announcement at the ValleyDawgs’ draft headquarters at…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The final 24 hours before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline were dreadful for Philadelphia 76ers coach Larry Brown. Almost as dreadful as they were for the players who were wondering if they were about to be dealt away from the team with the league’s best record and from teammates…
· Andre D. Williams
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