Dominique Watson walks slowly through the halls of the Student Recreation Center. He’s outfitted in teal shorts and a white T-shirt as he bounces a basketball methodically up and down. In between bounces, he gives passing students a nod of acknowledgement and a multitude of handshakes.
Watson, a former Lane Community College basketball player and current member of the American Basketball Association’s Las Vegas Aces team, is a recognized regular around the rec center. The 24-year-old athlete is known as the man capable of throwing down difficult slam dunks on the court. 

“I was 15 when I dunked the first time,” Watson says, looking down and smiling. “The crazies came probably when I was 16, going into my junior year.”

The “crazies” Watson is referring to are the vast arsenal of challenging dunks he is capable of. Standing 6-foot with a 48-inch vertical leap, observers and friends say Watson makes dunking look easy.

“The first time I saw Dom, he was dunking over someone,” says Ben Whitrock, a friend and former LCC teammate. “I went to see a LCC game, and honestly the first play I saw was an alley-oop to Dominique and he just killed it.
“Every time I come in here, I try to make sure he’s not playing because I hate guarding him,” Whitrock says with a laugh. “He plays above the rim — it’s insane.”
Once on the court, Watson bounces the ball at the free throw line and then lobs it underhand off the backboard. He jumps in the air, spins 360 degrees and slams the ball through the net, landing gracefully on feet laced in blue-and-white Kevin Durant Nike shoes. 
Watson isn’t sure which dunk is his favorite.
“I’d probably say, between-my-legs windmill,” Watson says. “I mean, I got a couple, so I’m not really picky.”
While walking around, the soft-spoken Watson exudes a quiet air of confidence. When he steps on the court and begins dunking, people immediately began to notice. University student Andrew Stafford walks by the basketball courts and stops to watch Watson’s aerial acrobatics. @@http://uoregon.edu/findpeople/person/Andrew*Stafford@@
“The guy’s legit,” Stafford says. “I was walking by and was just like, ‘Whoa.’”
Watson’s basketball career has been anything but boring. He attended Mojave High School in his hometown of Las Vegas, and after graduation in 2008 moved to Eugene to play for LCC. He reflects on his time at LCC with a certain fondness.
“I loved the time I was there. For my two years there it was really cool,” Watson says. 
After his time at LCC, he transferred to New Hope Christian College in Eugene, where he played for one season.  Watson left New Hope before his senior year and returned home to Las Vegas for a few weeks to visit his mother. While playing in a city league game, he was approached by the president of the ABA league about playing for the local ABA affiliate — the Las Vegas Aces.
“I went to the open tryout and he (the ABA president) liked me,” Watson says. During the ABA offseason he comes to Eugene to visit his girlfriend and friends.
While Watson has enjoyed his time playing with the Aces, he aspires to play at the next level.  His agent is currently working to get him a professional deal either in Vienna, Austria or Belgium this coming September.
“The NBA isn’t for everybody, so if I could, I’ll do it but if not I’ll keep going on doing what I’m doing,” Watson says.
For Watson, basketball is a family affair. He has two cousins currently playing in the NBA: CJ Watson of the Chicago Bulls and Marcus Banks, who plays for an NBA Developmental League team, the Idaho Stampede. He said both have helped him with his decisions regarding his basketball career. @@http://www.nba.com/playerfile/cj_watson/@@ @@http://www.nba.com/playerfile/marcus_banks/@@
Watson’s girlfriend and fellow basketball player, Jem Panganiban, says Watson doesn’t play like everyone else — he stands out. @@http://uoregon.edu/findpeople/person/Jem*Panganiban@@
“My joke with my friends is that with Dom, it’s not even bounce or hops; it’s flight,” she says. “It’s flight time with him.”