University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Unforgettable Season Includes a Special Child's Health Journey
03.10.2023 | Men's Basketball
The 2022-23 UNC Asheville men's basketball season has been a magical year for the Bulldogs.
On Sunday, they'll find out where they're going for the NCAA Tournament. A Selection Sunday Party has been scheduled at Kimmel Arena starting at 5 p.m. Kimmel will be packed with fans and the Asheville players as they anxiously find out who they'll be playing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Bulldogs have accomplished a great deal this year. They set a school-record for wins with 27 and tied a school and league mark for league victories with 16. Last Sunday, Asheville earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament with a dramatic 77-73 win over Campbell in the league title game in Charlotte.
While the Bulldogs have enjoyed a lot of success this year, assistant coach Neil Dixon and his family have endured a nightmare off the floor that involves their oldest son.
In early December, Dixon's son, Rhett, went to a birthday party. He played soccer, ate a lot of cake, and had a great time. But when he came home, he complained that his leg hurt.
"He had played soccer at the party and when he said his leg was hurting, we just figured he got hit by a soccer ball and he'd be fine the next day," said Dixon, who is in fourth year as an assistant coach with the Bulldogs. "He went to school but when he came home, he was still hurting. His teacher had told the family that Rhett had complained of his leg hurting while at school."
Rhett was still having some pain the next day and was now having a hard time walking. Neil and his wife Gabrielle took their son to the doctor.
"They did x-rays and then blood work. We were pleased to see that nothing came up in his x-rays but we were just holding our breath when it came to his blood work," stated Dixon.
"The following morning, our pediatrician called to let us know that Rhett's blood work came back abnormal, and that we were to take him to the Mission Cancer Clinic immediately," added Dixon. "Within hours, he was admitted to the hospital. They then did a bone marrow test the next day and we found out that our son had leukemia."
It was a shocking diagnosis for a boy who was about to turn seven years old. The doctors tried to reassure the family.
"This wasn't the news we wanted to hear but the doctors told us that they felt they had caught it in time and with treatment we could put it into remission," he said.
The protocol for ALL childhood leukemia is to get them into remission within the first month of starting treatment, then his treatment continues for 2.5+ years to prevent relapse. This first phase of treatment is called "induction."
Rhett would receive his first chemotherapy treatment the following day after he was diagnosed. He would be in the hospital receiving treatment for a few weeks and would spend his birthday (Dec. 10) in the hospital.
Meanwhile the Bulldogs were in the process of having the best season in school history.
"I can't say enough about Coach Morrell and the whole coaching staff. The other assistant coaches: Woody Taylor, Justin Levine and Robby Ruffolo all told me to take care of Rhett and for me not to worry about anything at the office," said Dixon. "There were times I couldn't be at the office or do something that was part of my job and those guys all picked up the slack. I'll be forever grateful to all of them."
"And Janet Cone, our Athletic Director plus the Chancellor (Kimberly van Noort) all kept checking in on me and letting me know they were there for us," added Dixon. "We've loved our time at UNC Asheville because it's such a wonderful campus with amazing people. My family can never thank Janet and Chancellor van Noort enough for the care they showed Rhett and my family."
Neil and Gabrielle are the parents of two boys, Rhett and Wells. The boys are old enough to be around the team and have enjoyed getting to be around the players. This year's team has been especially supportive of Rhett and Wells.
"The team has been just unbelievable. They've adopted both my sons and have been a real joy in their lives," admitted Dixon. "My boys think Drew Pember and Tajion Jones are a lot cooler than Michael Jordan ever hoped to be."
Rhett has made progress since the initial diagnosis. The chemo was painful at times but is working. It and the other medications have their own adverse effects on Rhett. Overall, he is doing well and making progress with his treatments. Rhett will continue to receive chemotherapy treatments for the next two years.
As the Bulldogs were winning on the floor in Big South Conference play, Rhett was winning off the floor.
"Rhett has made great progress since where we were initially in December," commented Dixon. "He's gotten his chemo treatments and the last bone marrow test showed that the cancer was in remission. His doctors are very optimistic that he will make a full recovery."
"We still have to do tests and checkups but Rhett is now back in school for a half-day," said Dixon. "We thought that wouldn't happen until the fall at best. He had to stop playing basketball and he wasn't happy about that but for the most part Rhett is doing better. I just want Rhett to keep getting better and get back to a normal and healthy life," said Dixon.
A special day for Rhett was the day he got out of the hospital and came home. He had some visitors there waiting.
"Our team did a drive-by at our house. The whole team came by to see Rhett the day he came home. What a thrill that was for him and my family," added Dixon. "Our guys really cheered him up and just made our day."
Rhett and Wells have managed to be a part of a couple of celebrations the past month on the floor. They were there a few weeks ago when Asheville beat Gardner-Webb to clinch the regular-season title at Kimmel Arena. Both the Dixon boys were seen high fiving all the Bulldog players during the celebration.
And the Dixon family was in Charlotte last weekend watching the Bulldogs win three games and capture the program's sixth Big South Conference Tournament championship. Asheville rallied in the final seven minutes to outlast Campbell and win the program's sixth championship.
"I've tried to keep my emotions in check the whole weekend because we had a job to do," said Dixon. "But it wasn't easy. And when we won on Sunday and I saw my family, it was next to impossible to stop the tears from falling.
"I was so happy that they were there to be a part of that championship," he added. "It's always special to win a championship but this one is always going to be a little extra special."
