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ST. GEORGE — Before Lionel Hollins' three-decade career in basketball — including 10 as a player for five teams in the NBA — the 1977 NBA champion was a freshman at Dixie State Junior College, then known as "Dixie State College."
Hollins, who grew up in Las Vegas and went on to an All-American career at Arizona State before being drafted No. 6 overall by the Portland Trail Blazers, remembers the bus rides of JUCO life.
He remembers the small gyms, the long road trips and the meager athletic scholarship before he was propelled to NBA stardom.
And to see that small-gym junior college in St. George filled to the rafters with over 1,000 people screaming, cheering and applauding as they welcomed the newest member of the Western Athletic Conference to town was an incredible sight for his 65-year-old eyes.
"It's nothing but positive for the university, for the community and for the students that you attract through sports," said Hollins, a two-time All-WAC point guard for the Sun Devils who most recently coached the Brooklyn Nets from 2014-16. "The city (of St. George) is already growing and this will help the growth. The big challenge will be getting people involved more; it's going to take another level of commitment in order to be successful on this level."
Among the many positives of Dixie State's move to Division I is geography. The Trailblazers, who joined NCAA Division II for the 2006-07 season, were the only D-II program in the state of Utah until Westminster College moved up from NAIA in 2015.
And while Dixie State has had success at that level — 20 conference titles in the PacWest before joining the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in all sports this season — the Trailblazers never quite reached the high standard they set as a junior college in the old Scenic West, where they won a few and competed for more national titles in baseball, softball and men's basketball, specifically.
Even more than competition, though, Dixie State has struggled to market itself as a Division II school. While the men's basketball team averages around 4,000 fans per game at Burns Arena, exciting the student body for games against the likes of Colorado Mesa and Cal State San Bernardino hasn't been easy.
It's not that other Division II teams don't have talent, or that Dixie State is on another level than the field.
It's simple branding.
"When you're in Division II, some of the schools have no brand," Hollins said. "It's hard to get people excited about that on a consistent basis — even when you have a good team. To go up another level and have that challenge and that level of opponent is challenging, but also very exciting."
As a member of the WAC, Dixie State will be able to add itself to a brand built by BYU and Utah, enhanced by Utah State — and rekindle an old Scenic West rivalry with Utah Valley.
"Dixie State's new membership in the WAC will be great for collegiate athletics in Utah and for the fans of both universities," UVU athletic director Vince Otoupal said. "It will also be really fun to rekindle our old junior college rivalry from the '80s and '90s, which I'm sure will spark many fond memories from our alumni."
Recruiting should be helped, as well, allowing the Trailblazers to provide more scholarships and more athletic opportunities to more high school athletes — including many in the Beehive State.
In the WAC, the Trailblazers will also be reunited with former PacWest rivals Grand Canyon and Cal Baptist, while adding to a legacy built by many great programs before it.
"When we add institutions, we aren't doing it just to add them," WAC Commissioner Jeff Hurd said. "We are trying to identify institutions that can be successful long-term and can add to the conference — and also make more sense of our geographies. Creating regional rivalries is part of that, and Dixie State certain fits that bill."
Hollins was one of those who helped build the WAC brand — and his junior college will now be tasked with carrying the brand forward.
"That was the irony of it," Hollins said. "It's life. It's progress. It's growth. I always say, if you aren't growing, you are growing old. The university here is not growing old. It's just growing and progressing. It can't be stagnant or live with the status quo. The world is changing, and you have to be progressive with your ideals.
"I think the leadership here will rise up and meet the challenge."
Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect that the previous name of Dixie State University was Dixie State College.
