That was last summer at Greensboro’s East-West All-Star game. Dixon, a rangy 6-foot-6 guard who poured in a county-leading 24.4 ppg as a senior, violated a team rule prior to that game and was disciplined by coach Rich Sizemore. Dixon had to sit and squirm and watch his West teammates play the first half without him. Missing 20 minutes made Dixon miss out on the MVP award, because once he was on the floor he was hard to handle.

Last summer was a time when Dixon’s future seemed as uncertain as the weather. He’d committed early to UNC Greensboro, but one head coaching change and one near-miss SAT score later, he had detoured to Fork Union Military Academy, a prep school in Virginia. Rumors were rife that a dozen schools wanted him badly after some sensational summer AAU outings. But nothing was a sure thing. Fork Union sure didn’t sound like a sure thing. That’s the place where students rise before the sun to raise and salute the flag. The place where they march to class and survive endless hours of two-feet-on-the-floor study halls. Fork Union’s helped some local kids — Catawba quarterback Mitch Ellis, for one — but not everyone can take the grind.

But Fork Union didn’t stick a fork in Dixon. Nine months after his East-West nightmare, Dixon has everything together. He confirmed Friday that he’s headed to Virginia Tech to play for Ricky Stokes in the fall.

“It looks good,” said Dixon. “Their starting 2-guard is graduating and his backup is transferring. Best of all, they’re playing in the Big East next season.”

Dixon looks ready for prime time in the big-shouldered Big East. His 185-pound body is still thin, but it’s no longer frail. And there’s an important difference. It’s just as his uncle, Larry, predicted last summer — a year of Fork Union discipline and weight-room work have turned a young colt into a man.

“Fork Union,” says Carlos, “was tough. But it’s worked out for me”

It was a good year for Dixon on the court. He averaged 18.3 ppg while playing on a team which included future UNC monster Jason Parker. Dixon averaged six rebounds and seven assists per contest. He scored 32 points in one game and had the distinction of beating the UNC jayvees with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in Chapel Hill.

“Doing that right there in the Dean Dome was a thrill,” said a grinning Dixon.

Dixon had a chance to show how far he’s come in Friday night’s North-South All-Star Classic at the Lawrence Joel Coliseum. It was a game that featured a mixed bag of talent. There were ACC signees like Marcus Melvin (N.C. State) and Chris Hobbs (Clemson). There were over-achievers like Burlington Williams’ Elliott Cole and Greensboro Day’s Brent Halsch, guys trying to prove they were good enough to merit college offers.There were ultra-talented kids with uncertain academic credentials like former Kannapolis/Concord/Charlotte Christian flash Ricky Clemons — the quickest guy on the floor — who played this year at Varner Academy in Garner.

Finally there were prep school phenoms like Dixon and former Winston-Salem Parkland stud Danny Gathings. Gathings, you may recall, is the kid who jumped all over West Rowan for 36 points in the 1999 3A state championship game. He played this year at Hargrave Military Academy.

Gathings, 6-4 and blessed with huge hands and even bigger hops, was clearly the best player in the game with 22 points and seven rebounds. He led his North team past Dixon’s South team 88-74. Gathings is David Thompson without the jump shot. Once he dunked home a teammate’s backboard pass. Another time, Gathings threw it off the board to himself and rammed it in to wild applause.

Gathings often guarded Dixon last night. But it won’t happen again. He too, is headed to Virginia Tech.

“Danny was a big part of my decision to go to Tech,” said Dixon. “Danny and I have been friends and AAU teammates for years. Danny’s tough. He’s bad.”

That’s bad as in good.

Dixon wasn’t bad last night either. He scored 15 points and added four rebounds and four steals. Ten of his points came on swoops into the lane that would have made his idol, Scottie Pippen, proud. He added a two-handed breakaway dunk and sank one 3-pointer from the wing.

Dixon finished tied for second in the pregame 3-point shootout, firing away to the strains of “You Dropped a Bomb on Me,” but managed just 1-for-6 once the game started.

“I just hate people didn’t get to see Carlos get on a roll like he can,” said South coach Tommy Johnson, who coaches high school ball in Florence, S.C. “He’s as good a shooter as I’ve seen in a long, long time.”

Johnson shook his head when asked about the Dixon-Gathings special delivery package that’s headed for Virginia Tech.

“Virginia Tech did really well for themselves,” he said. “Carlos still needs a little more meat on him to play in the Big East, but he’s a heck of a player. He’s got great, great leaps. Carlos and Danny are gonna make Ricky Stokes look like a lot smarter coach.”

The best news of all for Dixon fans is that Johnson gave the youngster an A-plus on his citizenship report card. No suspensions this time around. Just praise.

“I’ve enjoyed Carlos, really have,” Johnson said. “Absolutely great kid. In all-star games you deal with lots of egos and attitudes. But that wasn’t the case with Carlos. He was one of the kids that always did exactly what I asked of him.”