Billy Hix needed a break.

After finishing up his playing career at NAU in 2000, Hix, who ranks eighth on NAU's all-time minutes played list and ninth in career rebounds, needed to step away from the game he loved.

Hix took about a year and dabbled in the insurance field and lived in Las Vegas for a short time.

That year was all he needed.

Hix quickly realized that he belonged by a basketball court and not in an office working a normal 9-to-5 job. As a result, the former NAU standout, who was a member of the 1998 and 2000 Lumberjack teams that went to the NCAA Tournament, moved back to his hometown of Loveland, Colo., and started working as an assistant coach at his former high school.

After working in the high school ranks, Hix took a job as the volunteer director of basketball operations at Northern Colorado as the Bears made the transition to Division I basketball.

"When I finished playing, I was worn out," said Hix, who is now in his fifth season as an assistant at his alma matter. "I was kind of done with basketball. It took about a year, year and a half before I realized I wanted to get back into it.

"I got back into coaching just for fun. I helped out at my former high school, just because I had time to and I just loved it. I worked with a group of guys that were a lot of fun and had a lot of fun doing that stuff. I thought it would be a good idea to make a profession out of it."

And that's exactly what he did.

After one year at Northern Colorado, NAU head coach Mike Adras contacted Hix after there was an opening on the NAU staff.

It didn't take long for Hix to accept Adras' offer, and he moved back to the place where he had loads of success as a player.

"I think Billy has a tremendous amount of pride in this university," Adras said. "When we had an opening, I thought, you know, he was such a good player here. If he coaches the way he plays, he'll be a very good coach. He's really worked at becoming a better coach every year that's he's been here. He's a great representation of NAU. He's a role model for guys."

Just like any assistant coach in the country, Hix has a ton of different duties, including recruiting, scouting future opponents, running the team's offseason camps and working with the team's post players.

And he's doing it all in a place where he's built a life for himself. Hix is married to a former NAU student, Alexandra Basher, and the couple has a daughter that was born in Flagstaff.

"You don't think about making a life here when you first come to school," Hix said. "I didn't think my life would take place in Flagstaff and NAU. I don't know any other environment. It means so much to you every night you step on the court.

"I'm definitely vested in the university and I think that helps motivate when you're doing long nights of scout or you're on the road recruiting for a month. You realize that you're doing it for a university that's been good to you and one that you have a lot of memories at."

Of course, had things worked out the way Hix originally planned, he never would have made the trip to northern Arizona.

Instead, Hix would have played at the university that he grew up 10 minutes from, Colorado State. The same school the Lumberjacks will play Sunday night in their third game of a four- game road trip.

Hix grew up in Loveland, Colo., and went to Colorado State basketball and football games regularly as a kid.

When he finished high school, Hix, a two-sport standout in high school, had an opportunity to play quarterback at Colorado State and realize his dream, but it was it wasn't the right opportunity.

"The football situation, I would have greyshirted and then redshirted, so it would have been two years before I ever saw the field," said Hix, who was looked at briefly by the Rams for basketball, but didn't play well at a Colorado State camp and wasn't recruited after that. "The other factor was that I got hurt my senior year playing in high school. Basketball just seemed like the more safe route for me.

"But, I grew up watching them. I loved going to Colorado State football games. It's the local university that you want to play for."

Now, Hix will get a chance to beat the university he dreamed of being a part of.

Daniel Berk can be reached at dberk@azdailysun.com or 556-2251.