‘I’m just trying to get over this loss right now.’ TCU’s Jamie Dixon mum on UCLA job
TCU coach Jamie Dixon has been named a top target for UCLA in its coaching search, and he addressed that topic once again Tuesday night.
“I really don’t talk about other jobs,” Dixon said after the Frogs’ 58-44 loss to Texas in the NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden.
“I’ve got a great job. I’m very lucky where I’m at. I’ve said that before, there’s nothing I can really say. Very thankful for this opportunity I was given at TCU. It doesn’t feel good right now as far as this loss.
“That’s what’s so disappointing because it’s just that we’ve been playing so good. We just never got in that rhythm offensively today. That’s the only thing I feel right now.”
Dixon said he talked about the reports with his team before the game, just as he did when UCLA fired Steve Alford in late December and he had been mentioned as a possible candidate.
“I mean, I’ve addressed it all year long,” Dixon said. “We just talked to them about it. It’s just ... I don’t know why we played like we did, but it’s disappointing.”
Asked if he had a feeling whether he’d meet with UCLA officials in the coming days, Dixon said: “I just don’t talk about other jobs. That’s how we’ve always done it. I don’t know how many times, I just don’t do that. There’s always so many rumors out there, so I’m just trying to get over this loss right now.”
UCLA officials had not reached out to TCU officials as of Tuesday afternoon in regards to interviewing Dixon, although schools don’t need to receive “permission” to interview possible candidates at respective schools.
For Dixon, being linked to jobs is nothing new. During his years at Pittsburgh, Dixon had been linked to openings at programs such as Oregon and DePaul, but never bolted until his alma mater, TCU, pursued him three years ago.
But none of those schools were blue bloods such as UCLA. The Bruins have fallen on hard times, but it’s still the program with the most national championships (11) in college basketball history. Dixon grew up in the LA area, too, and acknowledged earlier this season that UCLA is the birthplace of basketball as far as his upbringing.
For UCLA, Dixon is attractive given his knack for turning around programs in difficult situations.
TCU has become relevant in three short seasons, going 68-41 in Dixon’s tenure. The Frogs won the NIT in 2017 and snapped a 20-year NCAA Tournament drought last season.
TCU believed it had a resume worthy of going back to the NCAAs this season, but were one of the biggest “snubs” on Selection Sunday. Dixon and his team rallied to reach the NIT semifinals, but exited with a dud on Tuesday. The 44 points were the fewest points scored in the Dixon era at TCU.
“This obviously was not our best performance,” Dixon said. “Disappointed in how we played and this one is going to hurt because of the loss to Texas and how we performed.
“People know that we’re an NCAA-caliber team, and we proved that we were but tonight, we didn’t. But obviously the progress has been substantial in a short period of time. But, again, this game is sticking with me.”