Sophomore transfer all set to join team

The accolades are endless.

2008 McDonald’s All-American, 2008 Gatorade California Player of the Year, 2008 Southern Section Division I-AA Player of the Year, two-time California Interscholastic Federation Division I Player of the Year, and so on, and so on.

To put it bluntly, Jasmine Dixon is no stranger to recognition.

So when the 5-foot-11-inch Long Beach native, who led Long Beach Poly to three consecutive California Division I state titles, was set to attend Rutgers and play under Basketball Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer, expectations were lofty to say the least.

But five games into her freshman season at Rutgers, after averaging only 3.2 points and 1.6 rebounds, Dixon had a decision to make.

And it involved coming home.

“It didn’t work out well for me on the East Coast, so I figured why not come home,” Dixon said. “My family’s here, it’s a great program, great coaches. I could just start over.”

And that is exactly what the former McDonald’s All-American and current UCLA Bruin hopes to do. Get a fresh start.

Dixon, who transferred to UCLA last year but was ineligible to play for an entire year dating back to her last game at Rutgers, is merely a month away from being able to get back on the hardwood and join her new teammates.

And in her mind, that day can”˜t come quickly enough.

“I’m really excited to get on the court with the girls,” Dixon said. “When I do get on the court, everything is going to flow naturally, just like practice. I can’t wait.”

As a five-star recruit in high school, Dixon was recruited by nearly every women’s basketball powerhouse in the nation before settling on Rutgers.

But after a tough transition to living on the East Coast, as well as playing under a traditionally hard-nosed coach in Stringer, Dixon is happy to be back in her home state and under the tutelage of Bruin coach Nikki Caldwell.

“I would say coach Nikki is a little more relaxed and more understanding versus coach Stringer,” Dixon said. “Don’t get me wrong ““ both are great coaches. Coach Stringer’s in the Hall of Fame. I just feel that coach Nikki gets me a lot more than coach Stringer did, so it’s easier.”

And Caldwell was not shy in expressing her excitement over having a player as talented as her newly acquired sophomore guard.

“I think we’re going to be a better team with Dixon in the rotation just because she’s a player,” Caldwell said. “She can defend, she can (rebound), she can score; she brings a toughness to the game. She’s somebody who’s going to be a great addition to our team.”

Despite her immense success on the court, Dixon explained that although she loves basketball, she also used the sport as a means of separating herself from the distractions in her hometown of Long Beach, distractions that affected some of those close to her.

“It kept my mind focused on one thing so I never had time to get caught up in the negativity that is around Long Beach,” Dixon said. “My dad was a perfect example. He never hung with the right group of people so he ended up going down the wrong path. But he’s always tried to keep me on the right path so I wouldn’t go down the same road he did.”

Dixon certainly created a positive path for herself throughout high school, but the Rutgers transfer understands that her past accomplishments are just that, and she hopes to achieve new feats in her renewed college career.

“Basically from high school to college, you’re starting over,” Dixon said. “It’s like I have a clean slate.”

Although Dixon’s experience at Rutgers may not have been what she hoped for, the sophomore said that she was able to take some valuable lessons away from her short stint playing college basketball, one of which was becoming acclimated to the rigors of being a college athlete as opposed to a high school athlete.

“The main difference is more dedication,” Dixon said. “When you’re in college you have no free time, just basketball and school. In high school it was just for fun, it wasn’t a job. There’s more competition now, and everybody is equal.”

But Caldwell, who played on a national championship team and was assistant coach for another, believes that Dixon has the ability to set herself away from the pack, and the coach will be asking a lot of the sophomore guard the minute she dons a Bruin jersey.

“Her primary role is going to be to do it all on both ends of the floor,” Caldwell said. “On the offensive end, I’m playing her all over the floor. She’s inside, she’s outside, she’s got a pull-up jumper, she shoots the three, she slices, she cuts. Jasmine just brings a versatility to our team that allows us to play her at multiple positions.

“I’m going to really challenge Jasmine to not take a possession off,” Caldwell added. “If she can do that, she’s going to be a great player to watch, not only in the Pac-10 but nationally.”

Talk about setting the bar high.

But Dixon said that she is prepared to take on the challenges of being a leader for this team, and the sophomore is confident that she can meet the expectations of her new coach.

“We’ve had meetings prior to this season, and we both agreed that … doing everything to help the team win will be my role,” Dixon said.

And for the Bruin team as a whole, Dixon is optimistic that this UCLA squad has the ability to make a run for the Pac-10 crown and wreak some havoc in the NCAA Tournament.

“I think we can accomplish it all, one step at a time,” Dixon said. “We’ve got a lot of talent. We have younger players and older players, and everyone is really good. Hopefully we can win the Pac-10 first and then go into the tournament.”

Above all, Dixon is aware that she is lucky to have a second chance. And judging by her demeanor, the sophomore is humbled by her new opportunity and does not want it to go to waste.

“I’m going in to hopefully make my name,” Dixon said. “It might happen this year, it might not happen this year, but I’m not going in thinking I’m better than anybody. I’m just Jasmine.”

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