Interview conducted by Chris Monter
Josh Dix, a 6-foot-4 guard from Council Bluff (IA) Abraham Lincoln, is one of the top players in the Midwest in the Class of 2022.
Dix averaged 19.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.5 steals, 1.3 blocks per game this past season. He shot 54.5% from the field and 37.8% from three-point range.
Dix led the Lynx to a 19-5 mark, losing to Ames 54-37 in the Class AAAA quarterfinal game.
Dix averaged 17.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game as a sophomore. He shot while shooting 52.5% from the field and 39.3% from three-point range.
Dix had offers from South Dakota State, Drake, Iowa, UMKC, Purdue, Wake Forest, Northern Iowa and Colorado State and added a recent offer from Minnesota.
GopherHole caught up with Dix June 19th at the Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association D1 Showcase to learn the latest on his college recruitment and upcoming senior year. His strong play at the event earned him the interest of the new Gopher coaching staff, including head coach Ben Johnson and assistant Dave Thorson and an offer three days later.
Gopher Hole: You are playing here in front of the college coaches. It’s nice for them to see you play. What’s it like to have them watch you play after 16 months of not being able to see you?
Josh Dix: It’s obviously great because they weren’t able to come out for awhile now and how we have grown over the last 16 months is really cool.
GopherHole: How has the recruiting process been, obviously like you said with coaches not being able to see you? Has it been a little tough to build those relationships with the coaches?
Josh Dix: Yes, it has been tougher, because obviously we couldn’t see them in person for the longest time, so it was just a bunch of Zoom visits and stuff like that and texts and phone calls, so it has been tougher, but it’s still been good.
GopherHole: I think you were down to Iowa recently. What was that experience like?
Josh Dix: It was really cool. Showed me around. Hung out with the guys there. It was a really cool experience. Great facilities and great people in that program.
GopherHole: I saw that Coach (Fran) McCaffery and (assistant) Coach Kirk Speraw are here to watch you. What do you like about Iowa?
Josh Dix: I like how they play. They play fast and a lot of freedom when they play. A lot of threes. Move the ball and a lot of unselfish players on that team.
GopherHole: They have a lot of interchangeable players and that is one of your strengths that you can play a couple of different positions?
Josh Dix: Yes, for sure. I think I can play 1 through 3. I can bring up the ball or play off the ball. Whatever the team needs me to do, for sure.
GopherHole: Another strength of yours is that you are a good shooter. Obviously, the game is becoming more of a three-point shooting game. You shot the ball well here. What other things are you really trying to improve on as a player?
Josh Dix: Just dribbling. Becoming more of a complete player because I want to be a combo guard more, so bringing the ball up and being able for coaches to rely on me to be able to do that and obviously, defense and athleticism. I’m always working on that, too
GopherHole: I think that I read you are hoping to commit before your senior season. Have you thought when you would like to do that at all yet or is that still a ways away?
Josh Dix: Yes, it is probably a little ways away, because I still have to take some more visits and talk to my family a little bit more and get down to places in the fall also.
GopherHole: What schools are you planning to visit besides Iowa?
Josh Dix: I go to Wake Forest Tuesday and Wednesday for an official and then I’m still planning visits to Drake and Nebraska, too.
GopherHole: Wake Forest Coach Steve Forbes was born in Lone Tree, Iowa. What do you like about them?
Josh Dix: They are really nice people. I obviously haven’t been down there yet, but Coach Forbes is a really nice person. He texts me all the time and Coach (Adam) Woodley, he was at Drake, so he was the one recruiting me and I really like him, too.
GopherHole: Drake has a player that you are familiar with from the state champions Waukee in Tucker DeVries (Iowa’s Mr. Basketball)?
Josh Dix: Oh yes, Tucker is really nice. I played OSA with him last year. Really good shooter. Coach DeVries has been recruiting me for a really long time. They’ve been really loyal to me, so that’s what I really like about them.
GopherHole: You mentioned Nebraska. Are you also hearing from Creighton?
Josh Dix: I’ve talked to Creighton, too.
GopherHole: What other schools are you hearing from besides those five?
Josh Dix: Oklahoma, Iowa State, Minnesota, Utah and that’s about it.
GopherHole: What are you hearing from the Gophers?
Josh Dix: I just started talking to them yesterday, actually, after I played. I am going to talk to them after this camp and see what that is like.
GopherHole: I don’t know how much you know about the Gophers, but they have a new head coach and a whole new team with only one guy left from last year. Do you watch a lot of basketball?
Josh Dix: I watch all the time, I watch basketball.
GopherHole: Do you certain teams or certain players that are similar to you?
Josh Dix: I like Devin Booker and Luka Doncic. Those are probably my favorite players in the NBA right now, but for college teams, I just to watch whatever is on. Mostly Creighton and Iowa and teams around here, Iowa State and Kansas. Teams like that, but I watch everything for college basketball.
GopherHole: It seems like a lot of the schools you are looking at are Midwest schools. Would you like to stay somewhat close to home?
Josh Dix: Distance doesn’t really matter to me, because I just want to play wherever the best fit is. Wherever, it feels like family, culture-wise. It doesn’t really matter how far it is away.
GopherHole: I know talking to some 2022 kids with the transfer portal, they said that they might commit a little bit early because they want to make sure that they have a spot at school that they really like. Is that something you thought about at all?
Josh Dix: Yes, for sure, I thought about it, but I don’t feel any rush right now. I’m just trying to see everything. Get everything settled down with my family.
GopherHole: What are going to be the main factors that make you pick School A over School B or C?
Josh Dix: Definitely, the culture-family and how they play. I like fast pace, motion and a lot of freedom and how the guys are there. If we connect well, I’ll definitely like that place.
GopherHole: Do you come from an athletic family?
Josh Dix: My parents didn’t play any college sports, but my sister is a pretty good volleyball player. She is in eighth grade right now.
GopherHole: You had a great run in the state tournament. What are the expectations for Lincoln next year?
Josh Dix: We lost five seniors. Three that started, but we should be really good again next year. We’ve got a lot of new guys that are stepping into new roles, so this summer, we are just trying to figure that out, but we should be good. Hopefully, win state. That’s the goal, obviously.
GopherHole: I think that was your first state tournament appearance for the school in five years. Now that you got there, you want to get even farther, right?
Josh Dix: Yes. I don’t think AL has ever been out of the first round, so we obviously want to get that done and keep going on in the tournament.