By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
ERA Nymburk adds on its intimidating look with Michael Dixon returning to the NBL champions. The Czech Republic team, Basketball Champions League participant, announced the acquisition of the 29-year-old point guard on Friday noting that he signed for the remainder of the 2019-20 season.
Per ERA Nymburk: “ERA Basketball Nymburk will be reinforced by an American guard representing Georgia Michael Dixon. He returns to the team of the Czech champion after three and a half years. He last played for the Egyptian team Al Ittihad Alexandria. He will replace Ivan Almeida, who decided to finish in Nymburk in November. Dixon signed the contract to the end of the season. He wear jersey number 11.
“Before Ivan Almeida’s arrival, we were looking for a type of player like Michael Dixon, who goes uncompromisingly into the defender, has a shot and drive to basket and is able to take responsibility at critical moments. We know that Mike is capable of this from his previous experience with us. Now he is older and more experienced. He also worked a lot on the skills of the pointguard. Expectations are quite high,” said the general manager of the Nymburk Rudolf Šimeček.
Dixon, 19, first came to Nymburk in the summer of 2015 and was one of the central figures of the successful season, in which he managed to advance to the VTB League quarterfinals and celebrate the Czech title. Dixon even scored 35 points in Nizhny Novgorod. In 62 duels he had averages of 14.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists in the match with a success rate of three points 40 percent.
“I’m really excited. When I was here for the first time, we had a great season. We won the 13th Czech title, got into the play off of the VTB league and played with CSKA Moscow. I really enjoyed it and most Czech boys from that time are still here. So I look forward to playing with them again and playing together for the title again and trying to succeed in the Champions League,” said Dixon.
In the summer of 2016 he moved to AEK Athens, where he averaged 12.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per match and helped advance to the Champions League quarterfinals. A year later he headed to France, where he wore the Strasbourg jersey for three months, before leaving for December in 2017 in Bahcesehir, Turkey. He started the 2018/19 season in Israel Bnei Herzliya, then played in Italy under Reggio Emilia. This year then began in Egypt, where Al Ittihadu helped win the Arab Club Championship.
“It was a new experience for me in Egypt. It was interesting, but when this possibility came, we agreed to end the cooperation. Now I’m back in Nymburk and I’m looking forward to it,” Dixon added.
“He should fit into the team, almost half of the team knows him. And it should help us not only to reach the next stage of the Champions League, but also to succeed. Mike stayed in contact with coaches Ronen Ginzburg and Oren Amiel. He followed us and his integration into the team would be fast. He knows us and the environment, the adaptation will be very short,” added Šimeček.”
Nymburk is 7-2 in the BCL Regular Season, good enough for second place in Group C. Domestically remains undefeated after 16 games.