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Jamie Dixon is coming home.
According to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, the same guy who originally broke the news that Trent Johnson had been fired, the former TCU guard and Pittsburgh Panthers head coach has accepted an offer to continue the men's basketball rebuilding project in Fort Worth.
Dixon replaces Trent Johnson, who was fired on March 13. The 50-year-old becomes the 22nd head coach in TCU men's basketball history, and the fifth different leader the school has seen since 2002.
Dixon comes to Fort Worth after spending the last 13 seasons at Pitt. During his tenure at the school, he guided the Panthers to the postseason each year, including 11 NCAA Tournament appearances. Pitt advanced to three Sweet Sixteens and one Elite Eight under Dixon's guidance. He compiled a 328-123 record at the school, including a 143-81 mark in Big East/ACC play.
He guided the Panthers to two Big East regular season championships and one Big East tournament championship. He also led the United States under-19 team to a FIBA World Championship in 2009. After posting a 13-3 league record in his first year at the helm, he was named Big East Coach of the Year.
In 2009, Dixon broke the NCAA record for most victories in the first six seasons as a head coach. He was also named Naismith College Coach of the Year and USA Basketball National Coach of the Year that season. The awards continued in 2010 as Dixon picked up CollegeInsider Coach of the Year and Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year honors. Most recently, he was named Sporting News Coach of the Year in 2011.
Perhaps most surprisingly, Dixon comes to TCU after turning down a multitude of other job openings in years past. During his successful tenure at Pittsburgh, Dixon was rumored to have received offers from Arizona, Arizona State, California, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina State, Oklahoma State, Oregon and Tennessee. TCU reportedly made a significant run at Dixon four years ago before ultimately hiring Johnson.
Dixon played four seasons at TCU under Jim Killingsworth from 1983-87. Although his teams went 73-45 overall and 38-26 in Southwest Conference play, Dixon's playing career is best remembered by a 35-foot buzzer-beater that helped the Horned Frogs sink Texas and capture the SWC crown in 1986, the school's second-to-last conference title.
As a close personal friend of TCU Athletic Director Chris Del Conte, Dixon was instrumental in helping the school earn a bid to join the Big East Conference in early 2012. Although TCU quickly ended their engagement with the Big East to join the Big 12, the bond between the school and Dixon had formed.
Dixon will inherit a relatively strong roster in Fort Worth. Karviar Shepherd, Brandon Parrish, and Michael Williams, all critical pieces to the TCU roster, return for their senior seasons this fall. Leading scorers Chauncey Collins and Malique Trent will be back with another season of Big 12 basketball under their belts.
Additionally, Kenrich Williams will return from a knee injury that kept him sidelined for the duration of the 2015-16 season. Incoming freshman Josh Parrish has already committed to the school, and Texas A&M transfer Alex Robinson is set to join the team as well. Finally, TCU remains in the final four schools with a chance to land five-star center Marques Bolden.
Not to mention, Dixon will begin his tenure at TCU in the newly renovated $72-million Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena.
Stay tuned to Frogs O' War in the coming days as more information regarding Dixon's contract and his coaching staff are revealed.