Dixon returning to alma mater made sense for him and TCU

By Staff     Dec 29, 2016

Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon oversees his team's practices Wednesday in San Jose, Calif. Dixon is longtime friends with UCLA coach Ben Howland. The two coaches will face each other in a West Regional semifinal tonight.

Winning college basketball coaches so often become (high-paid) prisoners of their own success.

A coach wins at a certain level and that becomes the minimum acceptable standard in the eyes of those who judge him, basically fan bases.

Consider the case of Jamie Dixon, in his first season at TCU after 13 years as head coach at Pittsburgh.
He made it to the Sweet 16 three times in his first six seasons and in his first seven averaged 27 victories.

In his final six seasons, Dixon averaged 23 victories and twice didn’t gain an invitation to the NCAA tournament.
The Panthers didn’t make it to the tourney in 2015 and were bounced in the first round in 2016.
Dixon no doubt heard the ticking of the clocks, so when his alma mater came calling, he listened. Pitt agreed to soften a mammoth buyout, reportedly as much as $10 million, which spoke, at least to an extent, to the shakiness of his long-range job security.

Dixon has a shot to lead the Horned Frogs to their first NCAA tournament victory since 1987, when he was a starting guard and career .451 3-point shooter for the team that defeated Marshall.

In this file photo from Dec. 5, 1955, Kansas University freshman Wilt Chamberlain (23) scores a goal during a freshman intrasquad game. At left is freshman Monte Johnson (6).

TCU landing its biggest name since Billy Tubbs left Oklahoma for Fort Worth, Dixon’s recruiting contacts, the recent $72 million renovation of its home court and the Horned Frogs’ quick start (11-1) all should help on the recruiting front.

TCU won eight games in its first four seasons in the Big 12. If Dixon wins that many in his inaugural Big 12 season for the 18-game schedule, he’d be a hero. At Pitt, a similar finish would have amplified the ticking of the clocks.

Never say never, but the fact that TCU is Dixon’s alma mater means he will be less likely to leave for another school if he becomes in demand by upgrading the fortunes of a basketball program that has made it to the tournament just once (1998) in the past 29 seasons.

Dixon made a smart move and so did TCU, one that stands a chance to strengthen the Big 12.

Out of a jersey, into a suit

Superstitious future Kansas basketball players interested in pursuing careers in sports administration might want to think about requesting the No. 35.

Out-for-season center Udoka Azubuike, who wears the jersey now, might have as many as 20 more years of basketball to play before considering whether he wants to stay in sports as an administrator, but the number does seem to lead to such careers.

Monte Johnson, a teammate of Wilt Chamberlain’s, wore No. 35 as a varsity player (No. 6 for the freshman team) and later in life became KU’s athletic director. Bob Frederick, John’s successor as AD, also wore No. 35.

Dave Magley, another No. 35 for KU, is commissioner of the National Basketball League of Canada.

Monday was opening night for the professional league that plays a 40-game schedule.

Former Nebraska sharp-shooter Ryan Anderson plays for the London Lightning, which lost to the Niagara River Lions, 107-106 in a season-opener.

As a freshman during the 2006-07 season, Anderson supplied some comic relief during a Kansas blowout of the host school in the Devaney Center.

Anderson buried a trio of three-pointers in a span of 4:29 to cut KU’s deficit to 23 points with 8:25 left and after the third, as he strolled by the Kansas bench he turned to Bill Self and advised, “You better find someone who can guard me!”

Self sported that muted-smile expression you sometimes see out of him.

Long-time Self pal Doc Sadler, then Nebraska’s coach, saw nothing funny about it and let Anderson have it, knowing that being on the wrong end of a blowout was no time for boasting.

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