Morehouse Basketball: Coach Dixon Talks Team, Culture, and Winning at The House

Coach Dixon breaks down Morehouse Basketball’s culture, leadership, and winning mindset at The House. Inside the vision shaping the Maroon Tigers.

Larry Dixon, Morehouse College Head Basketball Coach | Credit: Morehouse Athletics

It’s a new season at The House as anticipation builds for No. 1 (East) Morehouse College’s highly anticipated quarterfinals matchup against No. 5 (East) Edward Waters at the 2026 SIAC Men’s Basketball Tournament. The game promises to highlight the prowess of the Maroon Tigers, as head coach Larry Dixon has built a strong culture of winning that defines today’s Morehouse basketball.

"You can't have success on the court if you're not doing the right thing off the court,” Coach Dixon told HBCU Legends.  “Our guys are doing the right thing in the classroom, off the court. So I want them to have success on the court as well."

DIXON’S PHILOSOPHY FOR WINNING

The team advanced as the overall No. 1 seed after posting a 19-9 overall record and 19-5 in the conference in Dixon’s first year with the basketball program.  Since his arrival, he has built his coaching philosophy around the core belief in hard work and unselfish play for the Maroon Tigers.

"Playing hard for us is a non-negotiable. If they're going to play hard, I've got to coach them hard, and I’ve got to be right there with that same amount of energy as the leader of the group."

Morehouse College - 2026 SIAC East Champions | Credit: Morehouse Athletics

SIAC HOMETOWN ADVANTAGE?

The Maron Tigers will tip off on a neutral floor at the new Clayton County Convocation Center, which is nearly over 20 miles from Forbes Arena.  

The close proximity should give Morehouse a somewhat “hometown advantage,” but Dixon is aware that it’s a new season for them and their opponents in the tournament’s gauntlet of games.

He hopes to transform the new hosting arena into Forbes Arena South, giving fans and alumni a chance to support the team on the route to winning the conference crown.

“I wanted to make Forbes Arena a party every night,” he revealed—the kind of atmosphere where students, alumni, and fans can come together and elevate the team’s energy.  “Winning is a big part of it… it’s just been a buzz around campus the last couple weeks, and I’m proud of that.”

Morehouse defeated Edward Waters, 58-53, at Forbes Arena on Jan. 5, with Brandon Peters leading the team with 13 points. The game was highly contentious, but the tenacious Maroon Tigers' defense led them to a 17-0 run as they rallied from a 10-point deficit, adding 20 points off 25 Tigers turnovers.

Morehouse College Basketball Team - 2025-26 | Morehouse College Athletics

WHAT MAKES EDWARD WATERS DANGEROUS?

The Tigers reached the quarterfinals after defeating No. 4-seeded Central State (West), 71-63.

Edward Waters has junior forward Keshawn Evans, who is 6-6, as an important player to watch in today’s contest.   The Atlanta native averaged 13.9 points and 8.4 rebounds this season for the Tigers.  In conference games, he shot 49.3 percent fromthe floor and 37.5 percent from beyond the arc.  

Jaelen Nelson adds 11.7 points and 41 made threes in SIAC play.  Against Central Staty, Cyrus Huggard-Noel was the Tigers’ top scorer with 22 points and grabbed 8 rebounds.  This season in conference action, he averaged 9.6 points, while playmaker Jayvon Johnson added 61 assists and 44 steals.

HOW DIXON BUILT “THE HOUSE”

Josiah Lawson has been Morehouse's top conference scorer at 14.5 points per game, while shooting 49.3 percent from the floor and 37.5 percent from three.

"When we put them all together, I do think that we’re a really good team—I want us to be hard to scout."

The Maroon Tigers have a balanced attack with Sincere Moore averaging 13.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 45 steals in SIAC play.   Keep a close watch of Brandon Peters, who has averaged 11.2 points, 59 assists, and 35 steals.  Also lethal is JerMontae Hill, who’s posting an 11-point and 6.6 rebound average in league action.

A.D. Drew wrote in the game’s preview, “ Morehouse's edge is its depth of perimeter playmakers and its ability to flip possessions with steals; if the Maroon Tigers win the turnover battle again, they will have a strong chance to move on to the semifinals.”

SHOULD THE MAROON TIGERS WIN?

If Dixon and his squad of Maroon Tigers are victorious, they will be set to battle the winner of the No. 1 (West) Miles College vs. the No. 3 (East) Savannah State on Friday, March 6, at 8PM at The Arena at Southlake in the Clayton County Convocation Center in the tournament semifinal.

Larry Dixon is a shining example of how, when a coach has been a loyal and trusting assistant, time will tell, once given the opportunity, how a coach can build a winning program. Before becoming the Maroon Tigers’ 14th head basketball coach, he spent most of his career as an assistant coach.  

Most recently, he was at North Carolina State, helping the Wolfpack win the ACC Tournament Championship.  So he understands how to navigate the intensity and pitfalls of a tournament.

The House is rocking again on the hardwood, but Dixon knows that at this point in the season, the team must stay grounded and prepare for adversity at the SIAC tourney.

“One thing I've tried is to prepare them throughout the year,” Dixon noted.  “We've had some adverse situations, and I think we've grown from them.  We got to go 2-0 this week... but we can't get the 2-0 until we get the 1-0.”  

TODAY'S TIP-OFF

The tip-off between Morehouse and Edward Waters will be at 8:00 ET, and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.  The Clayton Convocation Center is located at 1300 Southlake Circle, Morrow, GA 30260.