West Point hits home for Dixon as TCU takes in ‘once in a lifetime experience’ for NIT

TCU coach Jamie Dixon has told the story of his sister, Maggie, becoming Army’s coach a countless number of times over the years.

But doing so on Army’s basketball court at Christl Arena, on the grounds of the scenic United States Military Academy overlooking the Hudson River, stirred his emotions Sunday.

Dixon had guided his sister through the interview process, believing it would be a valuable learning experience. He never thought she’d be offered — or accept — the job as a 27-year-old rising star in the women’s basketball world.

“The next night she comes back from the interview, I hadn’t heard from her, so I called her up and said, ‘What’s going on? What are you doing?’” Dixon said. “She goes …”

Dixon paused to get his thoughts and emotions together, saying: “I’m going to take this job. These girls need me. … This place touched her. The kids touched her.”

Dixon didn’t know if it would become the best career move. After all, Maggie took over the program in October, just days before the season started. At the time, Dixon recalled, women accounted for only 10 percent of West Point’s enrollment.

Plus, no Army basketball program, men’s or women’s, had reached the NCAA Tournament as a Division I program at that point. This is a school that had men’s coaches such as Bob Knight and Mike Krzyzewski, two coaches with more than 2,000 wins combined.

“Nobody ever won here,” Dixon said.

But Dixon knew he couldn’t talk his sister out of it. That proved to be a good thing.

Maggie accomplished the feat in her first — and only — season with the Black Knights, leading them to a Patriot League championship in 2005-06. Shortly after the season, Maggie died of heart arrhythmia at age 28.

Dixon and his family have kept Maggie’s legacy alive through the Maggie Dixon Classic, one of the prestigious women’s basketball events.

She is buried at West Point Cemetery, close to former Army football great and Heisman Trophy winner Glenn Davis and legendary football coach Earl “Red” Blaik. Other notables interred here include Gen. George Armstrong Custer, Gen. William Westmoreland and former astronaut Ed White.

“It’s an honor to be buried here,” Dixon said. “Obviously it means a lot to our family. I also think it’s a good opportunity for our players. We gave them a little introduction to it before we left and a little background on West Point and the cadets and my family’s connection to it.

“Everybody should make a trip to West Point, as well as the Air Force Academy and Naval Academy in Annapolis. At least one of them just to understand who these people are and the facilities and the history of these places.”

Players’ perspective

The TCU players embraced the experience, their first practice in the New York area preparing for Tuesday’s NIT semifinals against Texas at Madison Square Garden.

Sunday wasn’t a normal practice for them.

The drills might’ve been the same. The length and format were similar to practices all season. But the location changed it all.

West Point’s history speaks for itself, being the oldest service academy in our nation’s history and having alums such as Presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower.

“This is the home of leaders,” TCU senior point guard Alex Robinson said.

Robinson appreciated the significance of the day, particularly with two cousins serving in the military. One cousin, Shane Robinson, is stationed in Hawaii with the Marines, and another, Joseph Robinson, is stationed in Virginia with the Navy.

All of them played basketball growing up in Tarrant County, and now Robinson admires their service.

“It’s a huge sacrifice,” Robinson said. “The things they have to do for us, and the sacrifices they’ve made, I am forever grateful for everything they’ve done for me and are doing for our country.”

The same can be said for freshman center Russell Barlow. His father, Chris Allen, is a 25-year veteran of the Army and has been deployed overseas to places such as Afghanistan.

Barlow understands the demands of the military, as his father kept a rigid schedule. Barlow knew what visiting and touring West Point meant for his father on Sunday.

“I know it means a lot to him,” Barlow said. “I do my best to make him proud.”

NYC experience

Dixon isn’t done giving his team the full New York basketball experience, either.

Next up is a trip to Baruch College’s gym for a practice on Monday, a Division III school in the heart of Manhattan. One of Dixon’s former assistants at Pittsburgh, John Alesi, is the head coach.

“For our guys, to see a little school in an office building in the middle of Manhattan is just a unique experience,” said Dixon, who spent his childhood summers in The Bronx.

“The gym is on the fifth floor and you take an escalator up to it. You know, it’ll be a completely different experience from West Point, driving here through the town Highland Falls and then, 45 minutes later, you’re in Times Square.”

The NIT experience will be topped off with a trip to Madison Square Garden, of course.

From West Point to Baruch to MSG, it doesn’t seem to get much better for the Frogs.

“It’s a once in a lifetime experience,” Robinson said. “Mike Krzyzewski and all these great people have come through here at West Point. Then you get to play in Madison Square Garden where many Hall of Famers played and probably the most famous arena in the world.

“This is a once in a lifetime experience.”