Josh Dix Working Way Back from Serious Injury

Iowa Freshman Guard Broke Tibia, Fibula in January

IOWA CITY, Iowa - Iowa’s basketball team worked out in black practice jerseys Tuesday. There was one exception.

Freshman Josh Dix was dressed in gold, and didn’t participate in any contact drills. His comeback, from a broken tibia and fibula suffered in a January game last season, grinds on. While his teammates are working to perfect their skills on the court, the former Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln all-stater watches with one word as his guide. November,

“We don’t play a game until November,” said Dix, who signed with the Hawkeyes last fall. “That’s what (Coach Fran) McCaffery has been telling me. No game until November, so don’t rush anything. But I think I’ll definitely be back and ready.”

Progress has been slow but steady for Dix, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard who picked the Hawkeyes over programs like Wisconsin, Wake Forest, Purdue, Drake, Minnesota and UNI. He took part in a shell drill with his teammates for the first time on Monday.

Dix, who was averaging 19.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists at the time of his injury, doesn’t know when he’ll be cleared for contact.

“I haven’t been told anything,” he said. “The doctors just tell me I’ve been looking good.”

McCaffery is confident that Dix will be able to play when the season opens Nov. 7 against Bethune-Cookman.

“I’ll be surprised if he wasn’t,” McCaffery said. “Every doctor says he should be ready to go by September 1. He’s been very diligent with his rehab.”

The injury, to his right leg, was the first setback of his basketball career.

“I’d never been hurt, ‘ Dix said. “Not a broken bone, or anything.”

That all changed on the night of Jan. 20, 2022, in a home game against LeMars.

“I went up to block a kid with like a minute 30 (seconds) left,” he said. “And then I knew I wasn’t going to get it, so I tried coming down and our feet got tangled up.”

Dix went into shock moments after the injury.

“I knew I was hurt, but I couldn’t feel anything,” he said. “I could feel it when they were trying to pull my shoe off. That hurt pretty bad.”

Dix was taken to the hospital by ambulance, and had surgery the next day. He talked to McCaffery the day after surgery.

“He said, “If you need anything, just let us know,’ ” Dix recalled. “ ‘We know you can get through it. Whenever you can, get back to work.’ ”

The comeback trail has required patience, and his absence has brought a new appreciation for the game he loves.

“It’s been rough,” he admitted. “I’ve had the itch (to play) since I first got hurt, seeing my high school teammates and not being able to finish the year out with them. I’ve been here (Iowa City) for a month and a half. The first month I was working on that other court (in the practice facility), and everyone else was over here.”

Rehab’s long road started when Dix spent two months in a walking boot. He went to physical therapy once a week, but had a series of exercises he did four times a day at home. For one of them, he’d take off his boot and work on ankle movements with a resistance band. He’d also do some stationary dribbling while sitting in a chair and some standstill shooting.

“That’s about all I could do,” he said.

Once the boot came off he started walking, then jogging and doing squats to build his strength back up. He’s also spent a lot of time on a treadmill.

“I’m grateful that Coach McCaffery trusts my work ethic and that I’ll be back,” he said. “My (right) leg is getting pretty strong right now.”

Dix said jumping on his right leg is at 75 or 80 percent. He judges his running to be at 90 percent.

“We’re trying to make everything normal, and do things the best that I can,” Dix said. “Right now there’s not really any pain. My right leg is still not as strong as my left right now. And it gets sore easier.”

As he sits and watches his Iowa teammates, Dix is making mental notes of the offense and defense so he won't be lost when he returns to the floor. And he’s thought “What if?” a time or two as well.

“I mean, it was a freak accident,” he said. “I always wonder where I’d be right now if this hadn’t happened.”

The injury Dix suffered was similar to the one Paul George had during a USA Basketball exhibition in 2014. George missed most of the 2014-15 NBA season, but has returned to full strength and has been an All-Star numerous times since.

When he first got hurt, Dix wondered if he’d be able to play in 2022-23. As that time gets closer, he’s optimistic he’ll answer that question with a yes. So does his coach.

“He’s getting closer,” McCaffery said.