Jamie Dixon, University of Pittsburgh head coach of the Panthers

with Jim Lachimia

PM: Is there a time of the year when you're not totally immersed in basketball?
J.D.: No there isn't. I always say, it's not a job, it's your life. Every day is spent on your program and on your team. My wife [Jacqueline] is from Hawaii, and every year we go to Hawaii. What I like about going there is that, with the time difference, I can get up at 3 or 4 in the morning and get a lot of work done before my family gets up, because it's 9 or 10 o'clock back here. You can get recruiting calls and whatever else you need to get done during that time. Even when I'm in Hawaii, I find time to work on some things.

PM: Are too many kids leaving college early for the NBA nowadays?
J.D.: I think that's something that gets talked about more than it really happens. We spend time focusing on the four or five that go as a freshman, or go early, rather than the thousands that are playing college basketball and having great experiences and graduating. We need to focus on the bigger picture rather than this very small sampling of players. But I encourage our players to dream about the NBA. I wasn't heavily recruited, but I ended up getting drafted by the NBA. I've seen players make the NBA that no one ever thought were going to make it. So you don't want to take away someone's dream or desire. That goal is what makes kids get better. Taking that dream away is destructive. You don't take away that dream, but you encourage other dreams at the same time.