Juan Dixon has been the head coach of the Coppin State men’s basketball team for a little over six weeks. So, we thought it was about time to see how things were going for the Baltimore native.
“(I’m) doing a whole lot of recruiting. Recruiting is everything right now. So, we’re still in the process of putting together our roster hiring my assistants,” said Dixon. “It’s going well. It’s a lot of fun.”
Spend a few minutes with the Maryland Terrapins legend and you can tell he is genuinely enjoying his first Division One head coaching job. He said it’s kind of like being back in College Park, especially when he’s in the Coppin State arena. He said he gets the same feeling he got when he was a player at Cole Field House.
“Definitely. Got that same fire. That same burning sensation. I get it. I know we’re going to do something special,” said Dixon.
Dixon said he’s getting nonstop phone calls and emails now that he’s the leader of the Eagles program. And he doesn’t mind it at all. He’s getting acclimated to life as a Div. I coach and starting to plan for his first season.
“We’re going to do a lot of things that college basketball is not used to seeing,” said Dixon. “The little things like letting our point guard set the pick-and-roll, try to get matchups, try to cause some confusion.”
If there’s someone qualified to analyze the NBA Finals, Dixon is the guy. While in the NBA he played against the likes of LeBron James and Kevin Durant and was teammates with Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue. He said what we’re watching with the Golden State Warriors is truly historic.
“It’s unique. It’s what people are calling a super, super team. Them having an opportunity to go 16-0 (in the playoffs) will probably never happen again because, trust me, LeBron James and Cleveland is going to make a move,” said Dixon. “Paul George is out there. Maybe Jimmy Butler. There are some things that are going to happen that we may see Golden State and Cleveland in the finals for years to come.”
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