Grad transfer Nat Dixon to visit Memphis
Chattanooga graduate transfer Nat Dixon announced Friday that he will visit University of Memphis this weekend as coach Penny Hardaway continues his search to fill out next year’s roster.
Dixon is a 6-foot-4 guard/forward who averaged a team-best 13.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game for the Mocs this past season. He shot 39.5 percent from 3-point range.
The Panama City, Fla., native began his college career as a wide receiver on the Boston College football team in 2014 before switching to basketball. He spent one year at East Mississippi Community College before playing the last two seasons at Chattanooga.
Dixon previously announced on social media that he is scheduled to visit Wake Forest next weekend. He has also reportedly been contacted by Xavier, Creighton, Nevada, St. Bonaventure and Saint Louis, among others, since announcing his intention to leave Chattanooga last month.
The Tigers finished last season ranked 330th in the country in 3-point field goal percentage, and Dixon would provide a needed boost to the team’s outside shooting. He has just one year of eligibility remaining.
Hardaway noted on Wednesday before throwing out the first pitch at the Memphis-Ole Miss baseball game that the Tigers are currently pursuing one graduate transfer for next season.
ESPN reported that South Dakota’s Matt Mooney, another graduate transfer, has also been contacted by Memphis. Mooney, a 6-foot-3 guard who began his college career at Air Force, averaged 18.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists this past season. He shot 35.2 percent from 3-point range.
Memphis has three open scholarships available after East point guard Alex Lomax and Hardaway’s son, Jayden, became Hardaway’s first two commitments for the 2018 class earlier this week. Hardaway said he’s also in search of interior players to round out the roster ahead of the 2018-19 season.
The Tigers previously hosted 6foot-6 wing Connor Crabtree, a Tulane commitment who played at Hargrave Military Academy this season, on an official visit in the days immediately after Hardaway’s hiring.