Derek Dixon Receiving Guidance At Point Guard For UNC

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — When North Carolina boasted Derek Dixon’s height as 6-foot-5 on its official roster, it came as a surprise to some.

Dixon first got onto people’s radar as a 6-foot-3 junior guard from Gonzaga College High School during the recruiting process, but the summer entering his senior year, he said he grew to be 6-foot-5. He added that the team’s roster listed him there as well. And with that frame, he looks to be one of UNC’s main ball handlers this year.

Dixon enters his freshman year at North Carolina looking to add to UNC’s backcourt and play on the ball. He said that he wanted to play point guard when looking for schools out of high school, and that North Carolina is allowing him to do so.

“I’ve been playing pretty much only the one,” Dixon said on Friday about what position he’s playing in practice. “So it’s been really good to just get that experience and get used to having the ball in my hands more, making sure I’m being the leader. And at the point guard, you have to talk, making sure I know where everybody needs to be and learning all the reads and the plays, and making sure that I’m getting guys where they’re supposed to be.”

As a senior, Dixon won the District of Columbia’s Gatorade Player of the Year. He averaged 14.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 38.5% from 3-point range. He also played AAU ball for Team Takeover in D.C.

North Carolina’s backcourt includes Dixon, fellow freshman Isaiah Denis, Virginia Tech transfer Jaydon Young, Colorado State transfer Kyan Evans and UNC’s in-house fourth-year senior Seth Trimble.

Dixon said that Trimble and Evans are the players he’s learned from the most since his arrival. Trimble was Dixon’s guide during his visit, allowing them to form a relationship early on. Evans, who also stated last month that he plans to play point guard, comes in having played two seasons of college basketball. Dixon credited them for taking him “under their wings.”

“As soon as I came in the summer, he kind of took me under his wing,” Dixon said of Trimble. “We call each other ‘Twin.’ ‘Light-skinned squad!’ It’s been really good learning from him, spending time around him, and then off the court, he’s a funny guy, cool guy, good to hang out with. And Kyan as well. We really clicked quickly over the summer, both being on-ball guards, and it’s fun to go at him every day during practice. Off the court, he’s a really cool guy to be around.”

Marcus Paige, Dixon said, is a coach that he’s learned from about playing the point guard position at the college level. Paige joined the staff in 2023 and previously worked with guards Elliot Cadeau and RJ Davis, along with Trimble. Cadeau and Davis led the team in assists in each of the last two years, with Cadeau finishing No. 1 on the team in both of his seasons as a Tar Heel.

Dixon said so far, he’s learning how to read defenses better, utilize ball screens and take the available shots. He said he and Hubert Davis have had conversations about shot selection, determining good shots and bad shots for him within the offense. Dixon will play on an overhauled UNC squad with a variety of offensive skill sets. And as he handles the ball, he’ll seek to get them open looks.

“It makes my job a little bit easier knowing when I draw two defenders, I kick it out, there’s a guy that’s making shots, making plays,” Dixon said. “So I have to do less, and I can just keep it simple and just play the game the right way.”