Villanova recruit Eric Dixon is first to reach 2,000 points at Abington

Eric Dixon had already written himself into the Abington boys' basketball record book.

The senior power forward became the program’s all-time leading scorer in December, and he tied the single-season points record as a junior.

Then, on Thursday, Dixon added yet another chapter.

When he drained a free throw in the fourth quarter against Springfield-Montco , the 6-foot-8, 250-pounder became the first Abington player to score 2,000 career points. He finished that game with a career-high 50 points as the Ghosts beat the Spartans, 94-69.

Dixon’s 50 points also tied an Abington record for most points in a game. Richard Wright scored 50 in 1976.

Dixon added to his career points total on Saturday. He finished with 33 in Abington’s 83-59 victory over Kiski Prep to reach 2,034.

“He scores in a bunch of different ways,” Abington coach Charles Grasty said of Dixon. “Eric is a three-way player. He can get it from [three-point range], from the mid-range and from the post-up. He’s got an unique style of putting the ball in the basket.”

Dixon’s 50-point game came on the heels of Tuesday’s 31-point effort in a win over Cheltenham and a Jan. 11 win over Hatboro-Horsham in which Dixon had a game-high 35 points and 18 rebounds.

“I’ve seen a lot of great players come through here, and, to think I’ve surpassed all of their point totals and accomplish something that the greatest players I’ve seen weren’t able to accomplish, it means a lot to me,” Dixon said. “It was even more special to do it at home in front of everybody who has seen me grow up these past four years.”

Grasty said he knew at the beginning of the week that Dixon had a chance to hit the 2,000-point mark on Thursday. So, in the locker room before the game, the plan was to keep feeding the ball to Dixon so he could reach the milestone at home in front of his friends and family.

Once he hit the big free throw, the Ghosts called a timeout so that Dixon and his supporters could celebrate the achievement.

“People got to come out and witness something that had never happened at Abington,” Grasty said. “People are going to remember that for a long time.”

Dixon, a four-star prospect, will continue his basketball career at Villanova next season, and he joins a recruiting class ranked third in the nation by Rivals and 247Sports. Last season, Dixon averaged 24 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots as the Ghosts went 24-6, earned their third PIAA District 1 title in four seasons, and reached the Class 6A state quarterfinals.

Dixon totaled 25 points, including 16 in the third quarter, as the Ghosts stormed back and stunned Plymouth Whitemarsh in the 2018 district final at Temple’s Liacouras Center. He was then voted the 2017-18 6A player of the year by Pennsylvania sportswriters. In 2017, he was among the final cuts in tryouts for USA Basketball’s 16-and-under squad in Colorado Springs, Colo.

As a sophomore, the left-hander averaged 19.2 points per game.

Dixon, a Willow Grove resident, said he’s looking forward to contributing to the Wildcats next season, and Grasty said he expected Dixon to give Villanova coach Jay Wright productive minutes as a freshman. Dixon also received scholarship offers from St. Joseph’s, Miami (Fla.), Virginia, Pitt, Penn State, Georgetown, Oklahoma State, and Rutgers.

“I think Eric can come in and help Villanova right away," Grasty said. “He knows that he’ll have to give 100 percent every time he steps on the floor. But, if he does that, I think he’ll be successful at Villanova.”