UNC Basketball Derek Dixon Q&A: ‘It’s Hard to Turn This Place Down’

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Derek Dixon met with reporters Friday afternoon, ahead of his approaching freshman season with the North Carolina basketball team.

The 6-foot-5 guard was a four-star recruit out of Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. He averaged 14.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game there during his senior season, while leading Gonzaga to a 29-5 record and the DC State Athletic Association Class AA state championship. He hit 80 successful 3-pointers and connected on 38.5-percent shooting beyond the arc last season as a high school senior.

On Friday at the Smith Center, Dixon talked about his adjustment to college and Chapel Hill, how he sees himself fitting in with the Tar Heels, and his relationship with UNC coach Hubert Davis during the recruiting process.

The Tar Heels are holding their Blue-White scrimmage game on Saturday, a hour after the UNC-Clemson football game finishes. Later this month, UNC has a high-profile exhibition game at BYU (Oct. 24), and another exhibition game against Winston-Salem State (Oct. 29) to use for preparation in ramping up ahead of the new season, which begins with the Nov. 3 opener against Central Arkansas.

Watch Dixon’s full interview from Friday’s availability, and scroll down to read some noteworthy comments below.

What was the recruiting process like for you? And specifically, what was your relationship with Hubert Davis like during recruiting?

Dixon: “It’s hard to turn this place down. This is the biggest environment in college basketball, so knowing that there’s an opportunity here, with a lot of guards leaving last year and being able to play on this stage, is such a great opportunity for me. Coach Davis, throughout the whole recruiting process, was just the type of person he is, even off the court. One of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet, family-oriented. So spending time with him off the court, I really connected with that. And then on the court, (he’s) passionate and really loves his players and pours into them. I just loved the way he was on and off the court. So it really made my decision easier.”

Since being here at Carolina, who have you learned from the most?

Dixon: “I’d say the biggest two guys that have taken me under their wing a little bit have been Seth (Trimble) and Kyan (Evans). Seth was my guide when I was here on my visit. So I’ve known him a little bit beforehand, and as soon as I came in the summer, he kind of took me under his wing. We call each other ‘twin’ (and) ‘light-skin squad.’ So 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. And then off the court, he’s a really cool guy to be around.”

Coby White has said that your game reminds him of himself when he played here. What does that mean to you? And what advice has he given to you?

Dixon: “That definitely means a lot coming from him, being a guy who was really good here, and playing at the next level now. It’s been really good growing my relationship with him, and it’s funny that he would say that, because I saw the same thing when I went back and watched a lot of his games from here. I saw a lot of similarities in our games. We’re both bigger guards on the ball,  guards who can shoot the ball. So that really means a lot coming from him. Just being around him this summer and building our relationship, I’ve learned a lot from them about the game, about Carolina and just about how to be the best version of myself.”

How has this team come together over the summer? And what do you expect from this group this season?

Dixon: “I think we have a chance to be a really good team. We’ve got a lot of size, a lot of length, shooting, and a lot of competitive guys. So it’s been really good to be around them. I felt like we clicked really quickly this summer. So it hasn’t been like a struggle to mesh together, and I think we’ve just got to keep getting better each and every day and take what goes from there.”