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March 29, 2024

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Local products fuel Northern Arizona basketball’s wild postseason run

Aaseem Dixon

AP Photo/David Kohl

Northern Arizona guard Aaseem Dixon (1) goes up for a shot against Xavier forward Sean O’Mara (54) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Friday, Nov. 14, 2014, in Cincinnati. Xavier won 90-63.

A college basketball player from Centennial High, his teammate from Palo Verde and their coach from Durango are in the middle of a postseason run of a lifetime.

Northern Arizona University today will host New Jersey Institute of Technology in the CollegeInsider.com semifinals, continuing to play in late-March because of an improbable rally last Friday in the event’s quarterfinals. NAU trailed Kent State by five points with 41 seconds remaining in overtime before rallying for a dramatic 74-73 victory and a moment players soon won’t forget.

“I have to pinch myself to make sure I am awake,” said NAU coach Jack Murphy, a graduate of Durango. “It’s March 30 and we are still practicing.”

The Las Vegas connection of guard Aaseem Dixon (Centennial) and post player Jordyn Martin (Palo Verde) each have had significant contributions in the NAU success, especially the come-from-behind craziness against Kent State.

NAU’s Kris Yanku made two free throws to trim the deficit to three points. On the ensuing in bounds play, Martin tipped pass and Dixon stole the ball. He drove to the basket for a layup and one-point deficit with 23 seconds left.

NAU scored the winning field goal with 12 seconds to play and Kent State’s last-second heave missed. Soon, the NAU students rushed the court in celebration.

“That’s one of those speechless moments I can’t describe,” said Dixon, a 2011 Centennial graduate who averages 12.9 points per game for the Lumberjacks.

NAU (22-14) has won 10 of its last 12 games and is one of 10 college teams — out of more than 300 — still playing. While they aren’t in the national spotlight at the Final Four, the journey of the lower-tier tournament is something they are cherishing. The finals would be Thursday.

“We didn’t want to go home. Coach always tells us to never give up because you never know what will happen,” Martin said.

That philosophy also describes the careers of Dixon and Martin. Dixon’s lone Division I scholarship offer in 2013 out of Arizona Western College was from Northern Arizona. The same holds true for the 6 foot 7 Martin in 2012 during his senior year at Palo Verde.

Martin had a career-high 27 points against Sacramento State in the CollegeInsider second round. Against Kent State he had a double-double 15 points and 14 rebounds, developing from a player who was raw in talent to one of the best performers in NAU’s Big Sky Conference. Martin was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year.

“The last few games Jordyn is just playing outstanding basketball,” Murphy said. “He is always level-headed and his mind is on the game.”

Murphy is in his third year as the NAU coach. Former UNLV standout Kevin Kruger is in his first year as one of the team’s assistants.

“He’s been a great mentor. He’s helped a lot of players with their shot,” Dixon said of Kruger.

Southern Nevada is one of the key recruiting areas for Murphy, who knows a lengthy postseason run with Las Vegans leading the way will help open recruiting doors with local prospects. The tournament can also be a stepping stone for next season and the ultimate goal of winning the Big Sky to reach the NCAA Tournament..

Last year, Murray State won the CIT. This season, it won 27 straight games.

“Let’s come back and finish the job (next season),” Murphy said of reaching the NCAAs.

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21

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