Detroit sophomore transfer guard Dominique Dixon (Detroit, MI/Renaissance/West Virginia) is featured in this week's women's basketball Q&A.

Why did you choose to transfer from West Virginia to Detroit?
When I went to West Virginia it was a big school. I thought I was going to play. It was an experience for me. My confidence started going down and I really didn't get along with the coaches. I think I just wanted to go somewhere more comfortable. I kind of knew Lauren (Allen) and Jalesa (Jones) already from playing in the Detroit Public Schools. I used to talk to them all the time and they would tell me how cool Coach Rad(emacher) was and basically I went on word of mouth about what they said about the school. When I got my release, she was one of the first coaches I started talking to and by the time other schools tried to contact me, I had already built a relationship with Coach Rad. Plus, it's closer to home.

How is it being closer to home?
I love it. It's a way I can still have an outlet. If I'm doing something in basketball or I'm irritated with school, or I want a home cooked meal, it's just somewhere else I can go to so I can be around family and friends.

What do you see your role as being on the team during your redshirt year?
I think my role is making my teammates better. Just everyday practice, I'm just taking it to them. I play on the scout team, I'm just going hard and trying to give them competition so they can be ready to play in the games. That's all I can really do is give them good constructive criticism and I also try and keep them focused during the games. I kind of feel like one of the coaches!

What kind of impact do you want to make during your first playing year at Detroit next season?
I know it sounds greedy, I just want it all. I want everything. That's the type of goal that I had coming here. I mean, I look at the banners and see that we haven't been to the NCAA Tournament since '97, so that was one of my first goals is that I want to go to the NCAA Tournament. But, we do have to take baby steps, so of course, I want to win the Horizon League Championship, I want to make our team better, I want to make one of our overall records one of the best in school history and that comes with my teammates as well. Most of my goals are more team-oriented, I want the conference championship, I want to go to NCAAs, not first round, I want to go to the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight; I just have a lot of expectations. That's what I want to do and am keeping it focused.

How long have you been playing basketball?
Ever since I can remember. That was the first thing I did when I could walk. It runs in my family, sports, so it was either that or cheerleading and there was no way I was going to wear a dress, so it was basketball. It started off being fun and then it got serious; something I really wanted to do. Since about seven years old I've been playing organized basketball.

Do sports run in your family?
Yes. All of my younger siblings play basketball. My mom had a scholarship offer from Olivet, but she chose to have me instead. She kind of tries to live her dream through me now. My dad played football at Central Michigan.

Do your younger siblings look up to you?
Yes. My one sister, the one that is right under me, just plays basketball for fun. She just does it to have an after-school activity. My brother, who is 12, calls me every day to ask me when I'm coming home because all he wants to do is beat me on the court. The day he beats me, is the day he's going to be so excited. It's real competitive; every time I go home I have to play him one-on-one. He is very happy I moved back home.

Who has your biggest influence been throughout your playing career?
My father. He was the one that put the ball in my hand first and ever since he has been more like a coach/mentor. He coaches basketball for a league in Redford, so when he talks to me, he kind of talks to me like one of his players. He's always on the sidelines, yelling and screaming. He's the one I have to perform for.

What has been your best basketball moment thus far in your playing career?
It would have to be beating Detroit King my senior year at Renaissance. They've been one of the big powerhouses in the Detroit Public Schools. Whenever we played them, we always would lose and they would walk in all cocky with all of their Nike stuff on and it's like everyone wants to beat them. Our senior year, we beat them in the city semi-finals and when I say I was so focused, all I knew was winning, that's all I wanted to do. We took it to them. I felt like that was the best game I've ever played.

What professional athlete do you admire the most and why?
LeBron James. I like his passion; you can see how he loves the game when he plays. The way he turned Cleveland around; it's ridiculous how just one man make all the people around him better. I just love watching him play.

Is there any significance to #21?
I've been wearing it for a long time. I wore it my first three years in high school and then I changed to #1, which is what I wore at West Virginia. When I got here, I switched back to #21. I didn't choose #21 because of anyone, it was just a random number and I just made it mine.

Do you have any pregame superstitions?
I have to listen to my iPod. I really like slow music, like R&B, which is what I'll listen to the whole bus ride. But, as soon as I hit that locker room, it's all the Little Wayne and Jay Z, more motivational to get me hyped; more take on the world type music.

If you could choose one word to describe you, what would it be and why?
I would say, go-getter, like the rap song. I just think that I go get it, even if it's not in my reach, I still try for it. I don't care if people say I can't do that, I'm going to get it, regardless. I just think it's a way of saying that I work hard.

What are your thoughts on Coach Rademacher?
She is a great coach and a great person. She is real brave. From the first time I really encountered her, she was just so bubbly and so funny. But, she can just change it around and become this hard coach and then turn it around again to sing a song with a wig on. She has a good way of interacting with people, I'd say. The way she coaches, the way she just lets us play our game. When we talk before a game, she thinks that everyone has game and tells everyone to go out and play together as a team. I think that's what drew me to her the most.

What does it mean to you to be a Titan?
Part of a family. All of us are like sisters. We all work hard. We have our days where we really don't want to work hard, but we have to. We just come together, we work hard and we just go get it. We put in the work, and people have seen it with only seven players; they are strong girls. We don't take anything from no one. Coach Rad always says, 'Let's show these girls from the suburbs what we do in the city'. We have that pride. We just want it.