City of Basketball Love

Brendan Flatley (@bflats7)
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The last time Abington met Plymouth Whitemarsh, in the Suburban One League championship two weeks ago, sophomore forward Eric Dixon had a forgettable first half.

“The first half, I really, I just, I didn’t come prepared, I didn’t stretch, I didn’t get tape, I was late to the bus, I didn’t get a good warm-up in, I didn’t sweat,” he said at the time to explain his two-point outing in the game’s first 16 minutes.

Dixon made sure he wouldn’t be forgotten when the two teams met again in the District 1 6A semifinals at the Liacouras Center on Temple University’s campus.

Abington coach Charles Grasty allowed Dixon to play his game, and it paid dividends. He had a game high 31 points on 11-of-18 from the floor, 3-of-3 from beyond the arc, 6-of-8 from the charity stripe in the Ghosts' 71-67 win.

The 6-foot-7, 260-pound lefty also grabbed 10 rebounds.

“He had it going, he was making a couple of shots,” Grasty said. “As a basketball coach and as a fan, it’s pretty impressive to watch. On the sidelines sometimes you’ve just got to let him go and let him play.“

The big-bodied forward got started early this time, and scored often. In the first half alone, the underclassman had 20 points to help Abington take a 37-22 lead into the locker room. Dixon was making turn-around jumpers, 3-pointers from feet behind the line, and much more to keep the game out of reach for P-W.

“Dixon made some unbelievable, unbelievable shots, he hit everyone at the right time,” Grasty said. “Whenever they would make a run, he might hit a 3 or get a layup, he hit every shot at the right time.”

A year after an early exit from the District 1 AAAA tournament handed to them by Upper Dublin, Dixon and his team were ready to change the story this year. Following tonight’s 71-67 win over Plymouth Whitemarsh, the Galloping Ghosts have a date with Coatesville on Saturday at the Pavilion at Villanova in the new 6A classification’s first-ever district final.

“The loss from last year is the biggest motivation I have right now,” Dixon said. “I wasn’t the same for probably a week after, the whole summer, honestly it’s still in my mind.”

While the spotlight inside the Pavilion on Saturday is going to be bright, it doesn’t quite compare to the opportunity coming for Dixon this summer. In early October, he was invited out to the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs for a tryout with 32 other hopeful players to make the United States junior national team.

“The tryout was with all the top players, not only from my class but there was the number one player from the 2017 class, all the top players were there,” Dixon said. “Going to a place like that really helps you get better.”

Just recently, Dixon heard back that he was selected as a reserve for the team with a chance to play for a spot on the team this summer.

“It’s awesome...when I got the call it brought a tear to my eye,” Grasty said. “He lives two blocks away from me and I’ve seen him grow up since he was a little kid. An honor like this and a way to represent the Abington community as a whole is awesome.”

Grasty stressed the fact that this opportunity couldn’t have come to more deserving player. Grasty himself had turned away Dixon when the young forward was in middle school trying to come to the high school team’s open gyms and workouts.

With a seemingly unflappably calm yet determined demeanor and the basketball ability to match, Dixon looks ready to take on the challenge.

“I’ll be heading back out there in June to try to play for a spot on the team to travel to Argentina,” Dixon said.  “There’s a tryout from June first through the fifth, so on the sixth you’re either traveling back home or going to Argentina.”

While this opportunity is off in the distance, the upcoming championship game is a much more pressing matter for Dixon and his team. Regardless of the outcome on Saturday, the Abington team and community couldn’t be more proud of their rising star.

“It’s very touching,” said Grastly. “We’re all proud of him, congratulations to the family for all their hard work, he deserves it. We hope that he makes it, and if he does they’re going to get a heck of a player.”