It all came together for Jamie Dixon. The former Hawaii assistant has been wanting to bring his team — whether it was Pittsburgh or TCU — back to Honolulu ever since he left the Rainbow Warriors’ staff after the 1998-99 season.
“The timing of the tournament makes it hard for everybody,” Dixon said, noting the Christmastime schedule of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. “But with the late start in the Big 12, I figured this was the year to do it and jumped on the opportunity.
“We’re glad we’re here.”
The performance of the Horned Frogs (9-1) made their third-year coach pretty happy on Saturday when running away from Charlotte 82-57 in the last of four first-round games. TCU, which leads the nation in assists (21.2 average) assisted on 21 of 35 baskets against the 49ers (3-6), the two numbers matching another category.
The Horned Frogs had 35 points off 21 turnovers.
“We’ve tried to improve on that,” Dixon said of the latter statistic. “We’ve been good but have taken it to another whole level.
“We’re getting a lot more scoring off those (turnovers) and we’re taking pride in being able to go out and go with it, making those baskets in transition. We didn’t shoot well (48 percent for the game, 25 percent from 3-point range) but to get that many assists when you aren’t shooting well is a great sign.”
In what is becoming its signature this season, TCU was able to turn up the pressure toward the end of the first half. The Horned Frogs used a 16-2 run near the end of intermission to break a 19-19 tie and break away.
Senior guard Alex Robinson, second nationally in assists (8.6), had seven by halftime; he finished with a tournament-record-tying 11. Sophomore Kouat Noi scored 15 points — 11 in the first half — and junior guard Jaylen Fisher added 14. Fisher saw his streak of making at least four 3-pointers end at five; the 48 percent shooter from behind the arc was 3-for-8 on Saturday.
For the 49ers (3-6), senior guard Jon Davis had 17, well off his team-leading 21.1-point average, and sophomore guard Jaylan McGill added 13.
Saturday was the first time Dixon was competing in the Stan Sheriff Ce to 2016 before returning to his alma mater as head coach of the Horned Frogs in 2016.
His first stint with Hawaii was 1992-94 and “I remember this place being built,” he said of what was initially called the Special Events Arena. “I could see it right outside my (office) window when the big posts were going in.”
The Rainbows played at Blaisdell Arena during Dixon’s first tenure. The 1994 season culminated with their first Western Athletic Conference tournament title and first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1972.
Note
Dixon’s Pitt team played in Hawaii in 2014, a 74-70 win by the Rainbows played at War Memorial Gym on Maui.
