Experience mark of new coach

By JAMAL THALJI

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 21, 2000

TRINITY -- Know this about Joe Dixon: He knows his volleyball, he proclaims proudly, and that makes him pretty well known in the Tampa Bay area.

"I would say if you walked into any volleyball practice going on in Pinellas or Hillsborough countys," he said, "They would know the Dixon name."

They'll hear it around Pasco County now, too, since Dixon was recently named volleyball coach at Mitchell, which opens in the fall.

"I'm ecstatic," he said. "About a year ago, when I first saw they were building a new high school in the Trinity area, I knew that's where I wanted to coach."

The 39-year-old Dixon brings experience with the prep and club game to his new position. He has spent the past four seasons as an assistant coach, first at Countryside and later at Clearwater, where he also coached the junior varsity.

He is also a director and a coach with the Clearwater YMCA Juniors, and has taken teams to national competitions. Dixon has also worked with several Pinellas County middle schools, helping feed players to Palm Harbor U. and East Lake. A strategy that he believes will serve him well at Mitchell.

"I intend to have a good working relationship with Seven Springs (Middle School)," he said. "It's the feeder programs that really help your team out."

Dixon said the hallmark of his coaching style is defense; the program will be built on that foundation. "All of my teams have been hard-working, tenacious, and that's what I want to build here."

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