College women's basketball: Iowa's Melissa Dixon more than belongs in Big Ten

The letters came from all over – Marquette, DePaul, Vanderbilt.

Each one, with the athletic department's address typed in the upper corner of the crisp stationery. Each one, carefully addressed to Johnsburg sharpshooter Melissa Dixon.

As excited as her high school coach, Mike Toussaint, was to see his star shooting guard get the attention from college recruiters, secretly he worried.

He knew Dixon had been a special talent since fourth grade when she crossed up kids twice her age in the Little Dribblers program. She went on to break almost every scoring record in Johnsburg High School history, including points in a single game (41), career points (2,146), single-season points (795) and career 3-pointers (276).

Still, the recruiting process is a reality check, a time when many high school stars fade into obscurity.

Toussaint looked at Dixon’s 5-foot-8 frame and wondered whether she had the size and athleticism to compete against major Division I talent. When he talked with AAU coaches in the area, many agreed she would struggle to get playing time at top programs.

“I just don’t know. Is this going to be too far from home?” Toussaint remembers saying to Dixon, a white lie told in an attempt to try to persuade her to settle for a smaller school and a safer future.

What about Northern Illinois University? It’s a nice campus. Close to home. And you’ll get more playing time in the Mid-American Conference.

“I kept thinking to myself, do you go to a mid-major where you can play a lot?” Toussaint said. “Or do you go to a big-time school where maybe you don’t play as much?”

Dixon took the risk and signed with Iowa.

"Honestly, I came in not expecting a whole lot," Dixon said. "I was thankful for anything I could get."

Four years later, the undersized guard from the small town has proved she not only belongs in the Big Ten but is among the conference’s all-time elite shooters.

She broke into the 1,000-point club as a junior and holds the Hawkeyes’ record for 3-pointers in a game (10) and career 3-pointers (293 and counting).

Heck, she played well enough to earn her own bobblehead doll night Jan. 14 against Northwestern.

“When we saw her the summer coming into her senior year, we knew she would be wonderful in our offense, because it really works for 3-point shooting,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. “We thought she would really be able to open up our inside and the middle for us.”

Dixon is tied for fourth in Big Ten history for career 3-pointers. Thursday, when the Hawkeyes host Ohio State, she needs two 3-pointers to jump into sole possession of third place. And Sunday, she’ll return to the area for one of her final times to play in front of a home-ish crowd at 2 p.m. at Wisconsin.

“She just proves everyone wrong,” Toussaint said. “When she gets her mind set on something, she’s going to do it.”

• • •

Dixon’s path to college basketball started in her backyard, under the shade of the overhanging trees on the family’s full-length basketball court.

She took on opponents like she would one day take on the challenge of playing in the Big Ten, competing against her brothers Mike, 23, and Steve, 19, their friends or anybody who would play her.

“She always wanted to get into the game. She wasn’t afraid of playing anybody,” Megan Lopez, Dixon’s teammate at Johnsburg, said. “She’s never backed down. She was always out there from the beginning of the day until the end of day.”

Dixon always knew she wanted to play college basketball. Well, almost always.

“In fifth grade she thought she was going to be a Wisconsin cheerleader,” Susan Conroy, another teammate at Johnsburg, said. “Her dad went to the University of Wisconsin. So she was always wanting to be a Madison cheerleader.

“That was short-lived. Basketball became her passion.”

When it did, Dixon dedicated herself to the game, making up for what she lacked in size and speed with a tireless work ethic.

She played almost year round on club teams and on the Midwest Elite AAU team. At Johnsburg practices, Toussaint remembers her pushing every sprint and executing every drill with crisp precision. When practice was over, she went directly to speed and agility training with a personal trainer.

“She was the hardest working kid I had, even to this day,” Toussaint said.

When she’s home from college on a break, the Johnsburg coach can count on a text from Dixon, asking him to open the gym so she can continue to practice the 3-point stroke that has made her so effective.

"Just growing up, I think I’ve been extremely hard working," Dixon said. "I learned it from my family. Going the extra mile with anything you do. It’s just kind of something I strived to do."

The dedication to her craft continued in college, and in her sophomore year Dixon won the Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year Award and Iowa’s Hardest Worker Award.

Through all those hours, she’s honed her shot to the point where there is little to no variance in any part of it – toes pointed toward the basket, quick release, high arc.

This consistency allows her to sink shots with video game-like precision. She has made 48 percent of her shots from behind the arc this season, the best rate in the Big Ten.

After she broke Iowa’s career 3-pointers record, the Hawkeyes played a video tribute. Every clip in the video looks the same: Dixon gets the ball. Turns to the hoop. Swish. Catch. Shoot. Swoosh.

“When she catches the ball, her hands and her feet are already ready,” said Bluder, who is in her third decade as a basketball coach. “She’s ready to shoot it and she has one of the quickest releases I’ve ever seen. Probably the quickest release I’ve ever coached.”

• • •

On Thursday, in the waning moments of a 102-99 win at Northwestern, Dixon found herself unguarded on a fast break with teammate Whitney Jennings.

Dixon already had nine 3-pointers, one shy of the school record she already owned. The Johnsburg fans who made the hour trip to Welsh-Ryan Arena urged her on. Each of the shots up until this point was deep and contested, with a Northwestern player’s hand right in her face.

On the fast break, she could have easily popped out to the 3-point line and buried a wide-open 3 to tie her record in front of the home crowd. But she didn’t.

Instead, she darted toward the block, received a bounce pass from Jennings and laid it in. The layup kept Dixon from matching her Iowa record but was exactly what her teammates have come to expect over the past four years.

“The great thing is if she doesn’t hit a 3, she doesn’t care. If we win, it doesn’t matter. I feel like not a lot of shooters have that mentality,” Iowa senior Samantha Logic said. “We’re just so blessed to have such a great shooter and basketball player, but honestly an even better person.”

She shows the same deference to her teammate in interviews, too. Ask Dixon what makes her such a good 3-point shooter, and her reply is it’s her teammates' great passing or her coaches’ great system. Ask about breaking records, and she’ll talk about winning games.

This type of attitude is what her teammates have come to expect out of the player they call “Sweetie.”

Growing up, Dixon’s brothers had a hard time saying her name, so her dad, Scott, gave her the nickname. It’s stuck, even in college.

Her teammates and coaches, past and present, say the way she wears a smile during even the toughest workouts make it a perfect fit.

“As good a basketball player as Melissa is, she’s an even better human being,” Bluder said. “She’s so kind to everyone. It’s no wonder people want to support her. She’s an unbelievable role model."

• • •

Dixon’s college basketball career is closing in on its final two months. Later this year, she’ll graduate with a recreation and sports business degree.

“It’s been four of the greatest years of my life. I’ve gotten to play with some amazing teammates,” Dixon said, again finding a way to work in a compliment to others. “It’s been the best experience. I’m definitely going to be really sad when it’s over.”

Her career at Iowa may be ending, but her coaches – past and present – think she has the skill to keep on playing.

Bluder is hopeful she will get to participate in the 3-point shooting competition at the men’s Final Four in March. After that, Bluder thinks she could have a future in professional basketball, maybe overseas.

This time Toussaint’s a believer, too.

“She wasn’t too small to be one of the best Big Ten shooters of all time,” he said. “She wasn’t too slow to be one of the best shooters of all time. I think she could do anything she wants to do. Her work ethic and everything.

“Ten years from now, she’ll be successful in anything she’s doing. If she gets into business, anything. She’ll be somebody who’s going to be successful.”

Melissa Dixon career stats at Iowa

Games: 115

Starts: 68

3-pt FG: 293*

3-PT FG%: .393

Points: 1,318

*T-4 in Big Ten history

The letters came from all over – Marquette, DePaul, Vanderbilt.

Each one, with the athletic department's address typed in the upper corner of the crisp stationery. Each one, carefully addressed to Johnsburg sharpshooter Melissa Dixon.

As excited as her high school coach, Mike Toussaint, was to see his star shooting guard get the attention from college recruiters, secretly he worried.

He knew Dixon had been a special talent since fourth grade when she crossed up kids twice her age in the Little Dribblers program. She went on to break almost every scoring record in Johnsburg High School history, including points in a single game (41), career points (2,146), single-season points (795) and career 3-pointers (276).

Still, the recruiting process is a reality check, a time when many high school stars fade into obscurity.

Toussaint looked at Dixon’s 5-foot-8 frame and wondered whether she had the size and athleticism to compete against major Division I talent. When he talked with AAU coaches in the area, many agreed she would struggle to get playing time at top programs.

“I just don’t know. Is this going to be too far from home?” Toussaint remembers saying to Dixon, a white lie told in an attempt to try to persuade her to settle for a smaller school and a safer future.

What about Northern Illinois University? It’s a nice campus. Close to home. And you’ll get more playing time in the Mid-American Conference.

“I kept thinking to myself, do you go to a mid-major where you can play a lot?” Toussaint said. “Or do you go to a big-time school where maybe you don’t play as much?”

Dixon took the risk and signed with Iowa.

"Honestly, I came in not expecting a whole lot," Dixon said. "I was thankful for anything I could get."

Four years later, the undersized guard from the small town has proved she not only belongs in the Big Ten but is among the conference’s all-time elite shooters.

She broke into the 1,000-point club as a junior and holds the Hawkeyes’ record for 3-pointers in a game (10) and career 3-pointers (293 and counting).

Heck, she played well enough to earn her own bobblehead doll night Jan. 14 against Northwestern.

“When we saw her the summer coming into her senior year, we knew she would be wonderful in our offense, because it really works for 3-point shooting,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. “We thought she would really be able to open up our inside and the middle for us.”

Dixon is tied for fourth in Big Ten history for career 3-pointers. Thursday, when the Hawkeyes host Ohio State, she needs two 3-pointers to jump into sole possession of third place. And Sunday, she’ll return to the area for one of her final times to play in front of a home-ish crowd at 2 p.m. at Wisconsin.

“She just proves everyone wrong,” Toussaint said. “When she gets her mind set on something, she’s going to do it.”

• • •

Dixon’s path to college basketball started in her backyard, under the shade of the overhanging trees on the family’s full-length basketball court.

She took on opponents like she would one day take on the challenge of playing in the Big Ten, competing against her brothers Mike, 23, and Steve, 19, their friends or anybody who would play her.

“She always wanted to get into the game. She wasn’t afraid of playing anybody,” Megan Lopez, Dixon’s teammate at Johnsburg, said. “She’s never backed down. She was always out there from the beginning of the day until the end of day.”

Dixon always knew she wanted to play college basketball. Well, almost always.

“In fifth grade she thought she was going to be a Wisconsin cheerleader,” Susan Conroy, another teammate at Johnsburg, said. “Her dad went to the University of Wisconsin. So she was always wanting to be a Madison cheerleader.

“That was short-lived. Basketball became her passion.”

When it did, Dixon dedicated herself to the game, making up for what she lacked in size and speed with a tireless work ethic.

She played almost year round on club teams and on the Midwest Elite AAU team. At Johnsburg practices, Toussaint remembers her pushing every sprint and executing every drill with crisp precision. When practice was over, she went directly to speed and agility training with a personal trainer.

“She was the hardest working kid I had, even to this day,” Toussaint said.

When she’s home from college on a break, the Johnsburg coach can count on a text from Dixon, asking him to open the gym so she can continue to practice the 3-point stroke that has made her so effective.

"Just growing up, I think I’ve been extremely hard working," Dixon said. "I learned it from my family. Going the extra mile with anything you do. It’s just kind of something I strived to do."

The dedication to her craft continued in college, and in her sophomore year Dixon won the Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year Award and Iowa’s Hardest Worker Award.

Through all those hours, she’s honed her shot to the point where there is little to no variance in any part of it – toes pointed toward the basket, quick release, high arc.

This consistency allows her to sink shots with video game-like precision. She has made 48 percent of her shots from behind the arc this season, the best rate in the Big Ten.

After she broke Iowa’s career 3-pointers record, the Hawkeyes played a video tribute. Every clip in the video looks the same: Dixon gets the ball. Turns to the hoop. Swish. Catch. Shoot. Swoosh.

“When she catches the ball, her hands and her feet are already ready,” said Bluder, who is in her third decade as a basketball coach. “She’s ready to shoot it and she has one of the quickest releases I’ve ever seen. Probably the quickest release I’ve ever coached.”

• • •

On Thursday, in the waning moments of a 102-99 win at Northwestern, Dixon found herself unguarded on a fast break with teammate Whitney Jennings.

Dixon already had nine 3-pointers, one shy of the school record she already owned. The Johnsburg fans who made the hour trip to Welsh-Ryan Arena urged her on. Each of the shots up until this point was deep and contested, with a Northwestern player’s hand right in her face.

On the fast break, she could have easily popped out to the 3-point line and buried a wide-open 3 to tie her record in front of the home crowd. But she didn’t.

Instead, she darted toward the block, received a bounce pass from Jennings and laid it in. The layup kept Dixon from matching her Iowa record but was exactly what her teammates have come to expect over the past four years.

“The great thing is if she doesn’t hit a 3, she doesn’t care. If we win, it doesn’t matter. I feel like not a lot of shooters have that mentality,” Iowa senior Samantha Logic said. “We’re just so blessed to have such a great shooter and basketball player, but honestly an even better person.”

She shows the same deference to her teammate in interviews, too. Ask Dixon what makes her such a good 3-point shooter, and her reply is it’s her teammates' great passing or her coaches’ great system. Ask about breaking records, and she’ll talk about winning games.

This type of attitude is what her teammates have come to expect out of the player they call “Sweetie.”

Growing up, Dixon’s brothers had a hard time saying her name, so her dad, Scott, gave her the nickname. It’s stuck, even in college.

Her teammates and coaches, past and present, say the way she wears a smile during even the toughest workouts make it a perfect fit.

“As good a basketball player as Melissa is, she’s an even better human being,” Bluder said. “She’s so kind to everyone. It’s no wonder people want to support her. She’s an unbelievable role model."

• • •

Dixon’s college basketball career is closing in on its final two months. Later this year, she’ll graduate with a recreation and sports business degree.

“It’s been four of the greatest years of my life. I’ve gotten to play with some amazing teammates,” Dixon said, again finding a way to work in a compliment to others. “It’s been the best experience. I’m definitely going to be really sad when it’s over.”

Her career at Iowa may be ending, but her coaches – past and present – think she has the skill to keep on playing.

Bluder is hopeful she will get to participate in the 3-point shooting competition at the men’s Final Four in March. After that, Bluder thinks she could have a future in professional basketball, maybe overseas.

This time Toussaint’s a believer, too.

“She wasn’t too small to be one of the best Big Ten shooters of all time,” he said. “She wasn’t too slow to be one of the best shooters of all time. I think she could do anything she wants to do. Her work ethic and everything.

“Ten years from now, she’ll be successful in anything she’s doing. If she gets into business, anything. She’ll be somebody who’s going to be successful.”

Melissa Dixon career stats at Iowa

Games: 115

Starts: 68

3-pt FG: 293*

3-PT FG%: .393

Points: 1,318

*T-4 in Big Ten history