College Commitment: Leonard Dixon (2017 Barlow HS/Mt Hood CC)
Coming out of Barlow High School, Leonard Dixon showed potential but he wasn’t quite ready for a four-year school. So what the sharp-shooting 6-foot-7, 195-pound forward did was stay close to home to attend Mt. Hood and work on his body and his game. Two years later, Dixon emerged as a college basketball prospect and this week he secured his future by committing to further his career at the NCAA Division II level at Minnesota-Crookston.
“Coach (Dan) Weisse was the first one to reach out to me and really want me and offer me,” Dixon said. “It felt like home when I got out there (for a visit) and felt like a great spot to further my education.”
Dixon was fortunate enough to make an official visit to the campus of Minnesota-Crookston a couple of weeks ago before the NCAA shut temporarily down the recruiting period due to the coronavirus pandemic. While on campus, he got a good look around and got the right feel of the school and the basketball program.
“I just saw the facilities, the classrooms, and I met with advisors,” Dixon said. “It just felt like home and it was great. I like what they have coming in (with basketball) and the returners who are coming back. They recently sent some of their seniors to the pros and that’s really what I want to do, so that really led me to go there too, how they get guys to the next level.”
After thinking over his options – other Division II schools such as Central Washington, Hawaii Pacific, Texas A&M-Commerce, and Metro State-Denver had shown interest – Dixon decided to make a commitment. He’s excited about his potential role with the team and knows what he wants to do to get ready for it.
“(Weisse) really wants me to come in and knock down shots and win some games by doing that,” Dixon said. “So I want to work on my off hand as much as I can and keep on working on my jumper. But really I want to focus on defense and getting stronger and bigger so I can be efficient at the next level.”
This past year at Mt. Hood, Dixon averaged a team-high 19.3 points and 5.7 rebounds, shooting 43.3 percent from three-point range. He reflected on how his development took place ever since he graduated from Barlow in 2017. “Coming out of high school I could shoot, but I wasn’t really mature with my body as I hadn’t grown into it yet,” Dixon said. “So going to Mt. Hood was probably the best decision I ever made. It helped me mature as a player and get bigger, faster, and stronger.”
“(Barlow) Coach Tom Johnson helped me mature from the beginning, my freshman year of high school to my senior year,” Dixon continued. “Then (Mt Hood) Coach Nate (Bowie), the way that he speaks the game and the love that he has for it really motivated me and picking his mind really helped me become a better and stronger player as well.”