MidStateHoops.com :: Breakout Dixon

MSH recently did an article on Verdell Jones and the disrespect he has gotten as a player from local scouting services. There is another player from the 2008 class who has also been disrespected on both the local and national scale. He is a Chicago kid which makes the situation even worse as he lives where the market is.

6?3? Dion Dixon of Chicago Crane is the state's second best shooting guard and a top five player. He is a poised player with no real weaknesses in his game. He can beat you from the outside and when attacking the basket. He's also a relentless worker that rebounds and defends as well as any other guard in the state.

There was another player in Illinois whose reputation was similar to Dixon at this time. Both players were underrated and thought of as, at best, possible top ten players in the state of Illinois by most. However, when this player hit college, everything changed! The player we are describing is Oak Lawn Richards' Dwyane Wade. Though their style of play is a bit different, we believe and expect Dion to make a similar splash on the college scene as Wade did at Marquette.

With the Golden Eagles fresh off the tongue we should discuss Dixon's recruitment. Like Wade, few BCS programs are in the hunt for Dixon. Marquette and Colorado are two very serious contenders. Iowa was a big player for Dion until the coaching change. Former Hawkeye assistant, Billy Garrett, is now at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and recruiting the Crane Tech star harder than ever. Toledo and Akron have both offered as well.

When competing with Illinois Warriors, Dion began to see his stock rise. However, when deciding to compete with Chicago Express this spring, his stock dropped tremendously. He did not lose anything as a player (and actually got better) but because Express did not feature a plethora of top talent to compete with him, his rating dropped.

Look for Dixon to have a great collegiate career as he has the tools, the skills, the athleticism, the work ethic, and the proper attitude to have great success. When it is all said and done, we may look back stating that he is the best Illinois guard from the 2008 class.

MSH Player Video: Dion Dixon