Why MAHS basketball star David Dixon is transferring to a California prep school

MAHS' David Dixon, this year's District 15-A boys basketball MVP, announced that he will transfer to Teplitzky Mack Global Prep Academy in California and said he plans to be there by July.

"The reason I wanted to go to prep school was that I needed another year to develop my game, get better, and play some better competition so I can get ready for college," said Dixon, a 6-foot-9 forward. 

His longtime trainer Scotty Mason, who previously was an assistant at Memphis East, was recently hired as head coach at TMG Prep. 

"It's kind of part of the reason why," Dixon said. "I like that Scotty is going there because he knows my game, he knows how I like to play, and he'll give me the freedom to use my talent to the fullest."

Dixon is not ranked in the 247Sports Composite for the Class of 2021. He sat out half of the year following his transfer from Briarcrest and led MAHS to its first TSSAA boys basketball state tournament appearance in his only year at the school.

He averaged 18 points, 16 rebounds, and six assists during the regular season. But the state tournament was canceled due to COVID-19. Around that time he picked up a number of new offers, including Dayton, Georgetown and Texas A&M.

Dixon said that he doesn't plan on narrowing his list anytime soon and that part of his decision to go to prep school was based on getting more exposure because he wants more offers. 

He said that when he does narrow his list, Ole Miss is likely to be on it. 

"Ole Miss has been after me for the longest. They’ve liked me from the start and have been calling me for the longest," Dixon said. "I went to one of their camps in the ninth grade and Coach (Kermit) Davis really likes me. I’ve been to a few of their games and I really liked the crowd there. Ole Miss is one of the top schools that’s offered me. They’re probably going to be in my top 10."

He also has an offer from Georgia Tech, where his sister Elizabeth Dixon played before transferring to Louisville last year. 

"I got to see the team and see a little bit of Atlanta," Dixon said. "I just really liked the vibe of the school. Atlanta Is a real cool city." 

He said that he wants an offer from Auburn and that the Tigers would be high on his list if they offered him. 

"I’m still thinking about all the schools, but I’ll probably name one school that’s like Ole Miss: Auburn," Dixon said. "I really like the school. Bruce Pearl is a real cool dude. He’s fun. He’s a fun guy. He lets his players play and get loose sometimes and that's one of the reasons why they're one of the best teams in the SEC."

He said that Memphis has shown some interest but seems more focused on landing recruits from out of town. 

"Memphis is interested but Penny (Hardaway), you know, he’s been to a couple of my games but I don’t know if he’s going to offer me because he has all this talent coming in from all these other states," Dixon said. "At the same time, I don’t really want to be in Memphis like that. I’m trying to get out of here. So it's all right. I don’t have any hard feelings for him."