Paying Tribute to Maggie Dixon
by Ray Floriani
WEST POINT, N.Y. – It was a day emotions ran the gamut. The inaugural Maggie Dixon Classic evoked sadness of how the former Army coach left us at such a young age. There was also the fond memories of how she touched and inspired the lives of so many people. Future plans for the classic are in the works. The classic will be an annual event with Madison Square Garden as a possible venue. Make no mistake, the inaugural event belonged on this richly historic campus near the banks of the majestic Hudson.
In the opening contest the Pitt men soundly defeated Western Michigan. In the nightcap, the Ohio State women won just as easily over Army. Both games were a little one-sided but as the campaign progresses, all four of these teams could very well find themselves a part of March Madness next Spring. On their behalf, Pitt and Ohio State are arguably among the top five in the respective men’s and women’s ranks. Western Michigan is a solid mid-major that could win their Mid-American Conference while the Army women hope to defend their Patriot League crown.
In between the men’s and women’s contests was a brief but memorable ceremony. Shortly before the ceremony, Megan Vrabel, a co-captain on last season’s Army squad (“one of the toughest rebounders I ever coached,” per Army mentor Dave Magarity) admitted the day was very special, “but it’s really going to be very emotional.” It was. Not just for Vrabel, who broke down while reading a tribute to Maggie Dixon during the ceremony, but for everyone on this Sunday afternoon in Christl Arena. Maggie’s parents Jim and Marge Dixon made the trip from California. Her sister Julie was there and, of course, brother Jamie.
During the ceremony a banner proclaiming Maggie Dixon Patriot Coach of the Year was unveiled to hang from the rafters. All members of the Dixon family were given championship rings. In addition, one of those rings is also slated to remain apart of the West Point Athletic Hall of Fame. Another very touching scene occurred when Jamie and the rest of the Dixon family went over and hugged each member of the Army women’s team gathered on the baseline during the ceremony.
Again, the ceremony combined sadness with a touch of good memories. Sadness in how Maggie Dixon passed away at age of 28 last April. Joy in her accomplishments. Not just the coach of the year honors and Patriot League Title, but the impact she had on so many people in such a short time. And the impact that lives on in her memory.
Pitt looked like they were in mid-season form. The Panthers utilized their size inside while showing outstanding ball movement in dominating the Broncos 86-67. The Panthers, led by Mike Cook with 17 points, had four players in double figures.
In the nightcap, Ohio State, one of the top five women’s teams in the country, easily handled Army 77-41. It was just too much size for Army to handle. Senior center Jessica Davenport did the most damage for the Buckeyes with 22 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.
Notes
- The doubleheader featured two of the premier post players in America. Aaron Gray of Pitt scored 10 points, pulled down 13 rebounds and blocked two shots in a 24 minute outing.
“It was tough going against a 7-2 future lottery pick,” said Joe Reitz, Western Michigan’s senior center. The 6-7 Reitz battled gamely (8 points, 5 rebounds) but found his taller opponent difficult to contend with. Gray did a nice job holding ground and not going for the smaller Reitz’s ball fakes. “We will not see size like that in the MAC,” Reitz added.
Jessica Davenport is simply one of the best women’s players in America. She is outstanding in the low post, but the Ohio State senior does not lean her 6-5 body on opponents to be effective. Davenport is quick on her feet, a good jumper and utilizes solid footwork down low. She was an inside problem all afternoon against the smaller Cadets. When Davenport did go to the bench for a rest, another 6-4 player, freshman Andrea Walker stepped in for the Buckeyes. - Despite the lopsided loss, Western Michigan coach Steve Hawkins took a lot out of the game that can help his team. “It’s important to put kids in situations like this,” Hawkins said. “This experience gets us ready for MAC games and Cleveland (the conference post season tournament location). Our kids battled all day and didn’t give up.”
That was a strong point to build on as Reitz noted, “we won the second half.” After heading into the break trailing 47-22, the Broncos did outscore their Big East opponents 45-39 over the last twenty minutes. - If you have an appreciation for history, the West Point campus is your nirvana. The day before the classic, Hawkins and his Western Michigan team took a tour of the campus. “After the tour we gathered as a group and talked,” the coach said. “We went on a tour of Europe in the Spring and visited places like the Vatican in Rome. We saw hundreds of years history in Europe. Here we experienced the past two hundred or so years of history of our nation right here at West Point.”
Ohio State coach Jim Foster also brought his team on a tour of the West Point campus a day prior to the classic. - After the first game, Pitt coach Jamie Dixon recalled when Maggie was pursuing the Army position. He wasn’t totally sure if the job was right for her at the time. “After she called me I couldn’t talk her out of it if I wanted,” he said. “She told me she loved those girls and wanted to coach them. I’m so glad she got to coach for those six months.”
- Following the game with Ohio State, the Army coach Dave Magarity also spoke about Maggie Dixon’s contributions. “We talked about it a lot as a team especially in pre-season,” Magarity said. “We are in the process of moving on, but remembering Maggie will always give us great memories.” Magarity served as assistant on last year’s team then accepted the job after Maggie Dixon’s death. “Working with her energized me,” Magarity said. “I was set to stay in administration after years of coaching. Maggie basically brought me back to what I really love to do.”
- Ohio State coach Jim Foster also added, “you see the people here today and you realize the impact Maggie (Dixon) had here. She was a very significant person. I’m also impressed with the way coach Dave Magarity and his team handled everything today with such poise.”
- Even in defeat, Army’s Cara Enright had a solid outing, leading Army with 20 points. A 5-10 junior guard, Enright was Patriot League Rookie of the Year her freshman year and Player of the Year last season. Enright is truly a special player and a joy to watch. She can post up and also utilize her teammates’ screens well to free herself on the perimeter. She has a nice touch but remains a pass-first, unselfish player who never forces the issue.
- Among those in attendance were Kevin Houston, a former basketball standout from the men’s team who recently was inducted into the Army Hall of Fame. Also on hand was Lynn Chiavaro. A former head coach at Army for most of the Nineties, Chiavaro played a crucial role, on the search committee, in the eventual hiring of Maggie Dixon at West Point.
