Medina Dixon
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| Born | November 2, 1962 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | November 8, 2021 (aged 59) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| College | South Carolina (1981–1982) Old Dominion (1982–1985) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Medina Dixon (November 2, 1962 – November 8, 2021) was an American basketball player born in Boston, Massachusetts. She was a member of the United States women's national basketball team during the late 1980s and the early 1990s, collecting three medals during her international career. Dixon originally signed and played the 1981–82 season with South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball. She then transferred to Old Dominion University where she played for three seasons, leading them to a national championship in their 1984–85 season. Her number was retired by the team in 2011.[1] After her college career, she played professionally for overseas teams, including in Japan, where she played for six years, and then in Russia.[2][3]
College statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | Points | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981–82 | South Carolina | 15 | 243 | 44.6% | 61.1% | 8.3 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 16.2 |
| 1982–83 | Old Dominion | 34 | 565 | 50.4% | 67.6% | 7.7 | 4.3 | 0.6 | 16.6 |
| 1983–84 | Old Dominion | 29 | 602 | 55.1% | 78.7% | 10.3 | 4.5 | 0.7 | 20.8 |
| 1984–85 | Old Dominion | 34 | 558 | 48.1% | 70.8% | 8.5 | 3.5 | 0.7 | 16.4 |
| Career | 113 | 1968 | 49.4% | 71.0% | 8.7 | 3.7 | 0.7 | 17.4 |
USA Basketball
Dixon represented the US at the World Championships held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in July 1990. The team won all eight games, earning the gold medal. Dixon scored 8.3 points per game and had 15 assists, second highest on the team.[6]
Dixon again played with the USA team at the 1991 Pan American Games. The team finished with a record of 4–2, but managed to win the bronze medal. The USA team lost a three-point game to Brazil, then responded with wins over Argentina and Cuba, earning a spot in the medal round. The next game was a rematch against Cuba, and this time the team from Cuba won a five-point game. The USA beat Canada easily to win the bronze. Dixon averaged 7.8 points per game.[7]
At the 1992 Olympic games in Barcelona, Spain, Dixon was the leading scorer of the USA team with 15.8 points per game. Dixon led the team in scoring against China, which set up a medal round game against the Unified Team and fell, 79–73, even though Dixon set a USA team single scoring record with 28 points. The USA team then faced Cuba for the bronze medal. The game was tied at halftime, and Cuba had a small lead midway through the second half, but the USA went on a run to retake the lead, and finished with an 88–74 victory and the bronze medal.[8]
On November 8, 2021, Dixon died from pancreatic cancer.[9]
References
- ^ Melinda Waldrop, "ODU Great Dixon to Join Select Club," Newport News Daily Press, Friday January 28, 2011, p. B3.
- ^ Linda Robertson, "Is There Life After College Basketball? Women Bounce Overseas to Find Dreams," Salt Lake Tribune, July 11, 1993, p. D4
- ^ Frank Dell'Apa, “Dixon on Front Line of Revolution,” Boston Globe, November 15, 1993, p. 37.
- ^ "ODU Media Guide" (PDF). www.odusports.com. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
- ^ "South Carolina Women's Basketball - History" (PDF). University of South Carolina. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 5, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
- ^ "Eleventh World Championship -- 1990". USA Basketball. June 10, 2010. Archived from the original on October 20, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
- ^ "Eleventh Pan American Games -- 1991". USA Basketball. February 20, 2014. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
- ^ "Games of the XXVth Olympiad -- 1992". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
- ^ Weitzer, Nate (November 8, 2021). "Boston women's basketball legend Medina Dixon dies at 59". Boston Globe. Boston. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
External links
- Medina Dixon at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
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