TCU
Inside the craziness of TCU coach Jamie Dixon’s schedule these days
The life of a college basketball coach isn’t as glamorous as some may think. Look no further than TCU coach Jamie Dixon.
With the NCAA’s recruiting period running from Sept. 9 until Nov. 10, Dixon has been crisscrossing the country seemingly every week. Dixon joked that he’s flown the same red-eye from LAX to DFW three consecutive weeks.
Oh, and let’s not forget about the local recruiting trips, the preseason practices, the meetings with donors, etc.
“Everybody always asks what I do in the offseason, if I live in Texas, and I just laugh,” Dixon said. “Every day we’re doing something. It’s a little crazier now because you’re going five days a week practicing and then using the other two days to recruit.”
Dixon provided an inside look at his itinerary in recent weeks:
Sept. 20-22: Hosting recruits on official visits
Tuesday Sept. 24: 1:30 p.m. practice followed by a flight to LAX and in-home visit with a recruit that night. Then a red-eye flight back to DFW. Said Dixon: “I was in LA for about four hours.”
Wednesday Sept. 25: No practice but photo day followed by a team barbecue at Dixon’s home that night.
Thursday Sept. 26: Lunch with Ed Schollmaier followed by practice followed by players arriving for official visits that weekend.
Sept. 27-29: Hosting recruits on official visits
Sunday Sept. 29: Finish official visits then run a coach’s clinic at 1 p.m. in Dallas
Monday Sept. 30: Practice
Tuesday Oct. 1: 1:30 p.m. practice followed by a flight to Charlotte then to Virginia to visit a recruit
Wednesday Oct. 2: Fly from Virginia to Little Rock, Arkansas on same recruiting trip, then back to DFW that night. Said Dixon: “That was our off day.”
Thursday Oct. 3: Practice
Friday Oct. 4: Morning recruiting trip to St. Mark’s in Dallas followed by afternoon practice at TCU followed by a JUCO showcase at Game On in West Fort Worth.
It’s a never-ending cycle.
Dixon is not allowed to discuss specific recruits, but the hectic schedule appears to be paying off.
In recent weeks, TCU has secured commitments from four-star prospect Terren Frank, a power forward from the LA area, and four-star center Eddie Lampkin out of Katy Morton Ranch.
The Frogs are also in the mix for four-star point guard KK Robinson, who grew up near Little Rock and is now playing at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia.
St. Mark’s has some high-end talent in the coming years, too, with five-star prospect Harrison Ingram in the 2021 class and three-star guard Noah Shelby in the 2022 class.
“This is the busiest stretch now for us,” Dixon said. “They’re 12-hour days once you get going, but we also feel good about where we’re at in recruiting.”
This story was originally published October 14, 2019 6:00 AM.
