West Point Trip Holds Special Meaning for Dixon
3/26/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NEW YORK - For TCU men's basketball coach Jamie Dixon, it's all about family.
When the Horned Frogs arrived in New York Sunday to prepare for Tuesday's NIT semifinal game versus UCF at Madison Square Garden, the first stop for Dixon had extra meaning.
Dixon took his team to West Point to have practice at the United States Military Academy's Christl Arena, where his late sister Maggie Dixon made history and is remembered fondly.
Army West Point's head women's basketball coach and just 28 years old, Maggie died in 2006 from a heart ailment. It was just one month after leading the Black Knights to a 20-11 record, Patriot League championship and their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
Jamie guided Pitt to the NCAA Tourney as well in 2006, making the Dixons the first brother-sister combo to coach in the NCAA Tournament in the same year.
The impact of the West Point visit was not lost on Jamie's players.
"Coach Dixon showed us a video of his sister from an ESPN story on her," TCU guard Alex Robinson said. "It made it even more special, and we wanted to fight for him even more. We came out here and practiced really hard."
Senior guard Michael Williams echoed Robinson's sentiments, in addition to what being at the U.S. Military Academy meant to him and his teammates.
"It meant a lot to all of us, just to see the sacrifices that other people make for our freedom and for our ability to be at a great school like TCU and play basketball," Williams said. "It really puts things in perspective and shows us that people are dying and fighting for our freedom.
"We're very thankful and blessed to be practicing here today."
At the request of West Point officials, Maggie was buried at the Academy. It's an honor normally reserved for high-ranking officials. More than 670 people packed her memorial service at the 550-seat Chapel of the Most Holy Trinity, which sits on a bluff overlooking the Hudson River. Cadets, who made up about three-quarters of the crowd, were excused from classes to attend.
"What Maggie Dixon accomplished here in six and a half months won't be accomplished by some people in a lifetime," said retired West Point Brigadier General and Dean Patrick Finnegan.
Maggie said it was older brother Jamie who got her hooked on basketball and became her idol.
Maggie was a four-year letter winner and the team captain her senior season at the University of San Diego, She graduated with a degree in history in 1999. After being cut by the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks, she began her coaching career. She was an assistant at DePaul for five seasons, before heading to West Point.
"Today was special for two reasons," Jamie Dixon said. "I told our players before we came, to be in this place and see the commitment, work ethic and type of kids, I wanted them to get a little feel for what the cadets do here and the commitment they make to our country.
"The second thing is personal. I wanted them to know a little about me, my family and my sister who I'm very proud of. I thought it was important to let them know where my sister came from and what she did."
