Dixon was Johnsburg's consummate leader

Johnsburg senior guard Mike Dixon is the Northwest Herald Boys Basketball Player of the Year. Dixon averaged 13.8 points, 4.5 assists and 3.6 rebounds a game this season for the Skyhawks, who went 27-3. Dixon led his team to an IHSA Class 3A regional championship. (Amanda Schwengel – aschwengel@nwherald.com)

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There might not be a better snapshot of what Johnsburg senior guard Mike Dixon meant to his team than what transpired Feb. 23.

The eagerly awaited game at Marian Central was Dixon’s first back after missing the past four games with a strained right oblique and a hip pointer.

All he did was hit his first four shots, score 22 points and lead Johnsburg to its best performance of the season in a 79-54 victory. The Skyhawks had gone 3-1 without Dixon – losing to Grayslake Central in a game that cost them a share of the Fox Valley Conference Fox Division title – but executed with machine-like precision with him back in the lineup.

“That’s the kind of competitor
Mike is,” Johnsburg coach Luke Ravlin said. “That was really nice to see as a coach; he’d missed four before that. He took that game over from the start.”

Dixon was in control most of the season, directing the Skyhawks. The fourth-year varsity starter led his team to a 27-3 record and a Class 3A regional title, and for his efforts, Dixon is the Northwest Herald Boys Basketball Player of the Year. The Player of the Year is selected by the sports staff with input from local coaches.

Dixon averaged 13.8 points a game, but proved to be the consummate teammate and leader.

He averaged 4.5 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals a game. His assists nearly doubled his turnovers (2.8), and he hit 50.5 percent overall from the field.

Dixon joins his sister, Melissa, who was selected Northwest Herald Girls Basketball Player of the Year. It’s the first time a brother and sister have won the awards in the same season.

“It’s really good knowing that,” Mike Dixon said. “Not to be arrogant, but I don’t think anyone plays more basketball than me and my sister. We’re always playing games, watching film, working on our game. It’s such an honor for us both to do that. It ends my career on an awesome note and adds to her career.”

Melissa, a junior, has a chance to win again next season. Mike, who has lived and breathed basketball his whole life, will step away from the game. He will attend Wisconsin-Milwaukee and major in business, but his basketball will be limited to intramurals and pickup games.

“I missed time with [a right fibula] stress fracture the last two years and it crushed my recruiting stock,” said Dixon, who played with the Illinois Wolves, but missed time in July, one of the most critical recruiting months. “I’m starting to feel it again. I don’t want something to develop in the long run. I broke it twice and if I broke it again, I’d need surgery.”

Ravlin said having Dixon and C.J. Fiedorowicz, both four-year starters, along with experienced varsity players Mike Dombrowski, Derek Talbot and Tyler Chambers, made things easy for him.

“We were blessed to have an incredible amount of talent, but Mike was the guy on every single rep and in every single practice who went 100 percent,” Ravlin said. “He set the bar that way. Our guys’ work ethic was incredible, but Mike set the tone.”

Fiedorowicz, who was the Northwest Herald Football Player of the Year, lost count of the assists he received from his running mate over their four years. Their run ended with a 66-54 loss to St. Viator in the Vernon Hills Sectional championship.

“He’s a great leader in practice every day,” Fiedorowicz said. “He always had everybody talking and was picking everybody up. Every day in practice he worked his butt off. I’ve played with him for the last eight years and he’s always leading on the court.”

Dixon finished his career No. 2 on Johnsburg’s career scoring list to Fiedorowicz, but he took more pride in being a leader than his scoring. When needed, he would score, although he was just as satisfied directing the offense. Eventually, he might join his father, Scott, in his business, Dixon Companies, which buys and develops real estate. Don’t be surprised to see Dixon someday in the coaching ranks.

“My first goal was to be a good person and lead by example,” said Dixon, an All-Area first team selection last season. “I hope it rubbed off on coaches and team in many positive ways. I liked to be a coach on the court and I think that helped us a lot. As long as we were winning, that was more important than scoring a lot of points.”

Ravlin noticed an improvement in Dixon’s game as a senior the way he handled the ball. Fiedorowicz saw it, too.

“I don’t remember him having the ball stolen much, he may have had a bad pass here or there,” Fiedorowicz said.

“It was a testament to how hard he’s worked on his ballhandling,” Ravlin said.

There likely will come a time next year at Milwaukee, when Dixon is dominating a pickup game, where he misses a more competitive game. Still, he will have the satisfaction of looking back at a career in which he and his teams experienced great success.

“I want to thank all the people who were part of it, my family and coaches,” Dixon said. “We really worked hard for that and accomplished many goals we set, we only missed one goal and that was conference. I couldn’t be more proud of teammates, coaches and Johnsburg as a community.”