North Carolina has had an identity crisis in its backcourt, largely because of its lack of a true point guard.
Kyan Evans, whom head coach Hubert Davis brought in from Colorado State to replace RJ Davis and add a sharpshooting element to North Carolina’s offense, had been largely ineffective for most of the season. Needing to make a change after Carolina struggled early in ACC play, Davis turned to freshman Derek Dixon shortly before its loss to Cal as North Carolina’s new point guard.
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He has been a revelation for the Tar Heels, averaging 12 points and four assists per game on 46.4% shooting from the field and 56.2% from 3-point range in the three games he has started.
In UNC’s upset win over Virginia, Dixon had 11 points and a season-high seven assists, with eight of those points and six of those assists coming after halftime. He also hit a big 3-pointer with five seconds left in the first half to cut UVA’s lead to nine points, and it was a momentum-shifting play.
In the weekly ACC coaches’ call, Davis praised Dixon’s ability to step in and produce, as well as his versatility.
“Derek is a very confident player, very fundamentally sound, very skilled, (he) can really shoot the basketball, he’s a big guard that, from a defensive standpoint, can guard a number of different positions,” Davis said.
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Davis said Dixon’s confidence and poise have only grown as his role has expanded.
“With the extended minutes, I feel like he’s done a really nice job. He’s become more vocal throughout the year, which naturally comes because you just feel more comfortable with your teammates, with your coaches and he just has a great personality not just on the court but off the court as well.”
Since his role has expanded, his impact has meant more for the Tar Heels each and every game he has started as In each of his three starts, his plus-minus has steadily climbed — from plus-5 against Cal to plus-17 against Notre Dame and plus-22 against Virginia.
We will see what he does next when North Carolina takes on Georgia Tech on Saturday at 2 p.m.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: Derek Dixon receives praise from Hubert Davis
