Former CK star Dixon finds way into No. 1 UConn’s lineup

Lorin Dixon’s decision to attend the University of Connecticut wasn’t made so she would start as a freshman, but to learn the game and eventually grow as a player to the extent where she could demand major minutes.
Well, it happened anyway for the former Christ the King star. When senior Mel Thomas was lost for the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament and lateral meniscus in her right knee, Dixon, a speedy 5-foot-4 Springfield Gardens product, replaced her in the backcourt.
She started at point guard for the top-ranked Huskies (18-0, 5-0 Big East) in home wins over Cincinnati, 86-49, Saturday afternoon and No. 2 North Carolina, 82-71, Monday night on national television.
“It was very exciting,” she said. “Everybody dreams about playing at UConn. There were emotions. It was amazing, a great feeling.”
Dixon did not do too badly on the court, either. On Saturday, she played a career-high 35 minutes and finished with four points and seven assists. On Monday, she added two points, two assists, four rebounds and just one turnover in 23 minutes.
“She can run. She can jump. But there’s a certain something about her and you can see it if you look close enough,” Coach Geno Auriemma told reporters after Saturday’s win. “You know that she’s a really, really competitive kid and she’s not going to look bad. So the way she played, I’m not surprised.”
When Auriemma told her of the lineup change last Thursday, January 24, Dixon admittedly stopped breathing for a few moments.
“It was very hard to believe,” she said. “I was like, ‘Is he talking to me or is there another Lorin in the room?’ It’s a lot to take in. It was overwhelming.”
That Dixon isn’t the only freshman starter - elite first-year forward Maya Moore, who has been voted Big East Freshman of the Week five times, is the other - serves as a benefit. So does the presence of former Christ the King teammate Tina Charles, who played with Dixon for two years, both national championship seasons in 2005 and 2006, at the Middle Village school.
“The kind of teammates and coaches we have, they help out a lot,” Dixon said. “I’m going to improve, cut my turnovers down even further, just play the game and do what coach asks of me.”