This year's NCAA tournament is a family affair for the Dixons.

Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon, a former University of Hawai'i assistant, is taking his Panthers to the men's tournament for a third straight year. Not to be outdone, little sister Maggie led Army to its first bid in the women's field, six months after getting her first head coaching job.

"What can I tell you? It's beyond belief," said their proud father, Jim Dixon. "It's a wonderful, wonderful thing."

Historical, too. The Dixons are believed to be the first brother and sister to coach in the Division I tournament in the same year.

"It was never determined, 'This is what you're going to do, be the first brother and sister in the NCAA tournament,' " Jim Dixon said. "You never thought about those implications. But since this is what we've got, we'll take it."

Though there are 12 years between Jamie and Maggie, the oldest and youngest of the three Dixon kids, the two have always been close. Maggie was 5 when Jamie went off to school at TCU, and still in grade school when he went to play overseas. But when he'd go back to Los Angeles to see his family, Maggie was sure to be close by.

"I remember he bought me my first Cabbage Patch Kid," Maggie Dixon said, laughing. "When he was younger, he was really quiet. It was kind of like me the younger sister running around, being rambunctious."

All three of the Dixons were into sports growing up. But it was clear early on that Jamie had a special talent for basketball.

"He was playing point guard and directing teams all over the place at 6 years old," Jim Dixon said. "And Maggie was the same way. She just loved it."

Maggie had hoped to play in the WNBA after graduating from the University of San Diego. When the Los Angeles Sparks cut her after a tryout in May 2000, she was devastated.

One of the first people she called was her big brother.

"I remember that very vividly," Jamie Dixon said. "Not being there at the time and knowing — I've been there before. I was cut by the NBA so I know the feeling."

Jamie was well into his coaching career by then. After stints at UC-Santa Barbara, Hawai'i (1992-94 and 1998-99) and Northern Arizona, he followed Ben Howland to Pitt in 1999 as Howland's associate head coach.

When Howland left Pitt for UCLA after the 2003 season, Dixon took over. The Panthers went a school-record 31-5 in his first season, and reached the regional semifinals.

He's 75-21 in three seasons, with NCAA appearances each year. The Panthers (24-7) are the fifth seed in the Oakland Regional this year, and open the tournament against Kent State tomorrow night in Auburn Hills, Mich.

Maggie Dixon began coaching as a graduate assistant for DePaul coach Doug Bruno. Dixon was promoted to full-time assistant the next May, and in May 2004, Bruno made her his top assistant.

When Army found itself without a coach last October, the Black Knights called Maggie Dixon.

After scuffling through the first half of the season at .500, Army won nine of its last 11 regular-season games. It then beat Lafayette and Colgate to reach the Patriot League finals, where the Black Knights (20-10) earned their first trip to the NCAA tournament with a 69-68 victory over Holy Cross.

Army, the 15th seed in the Cleveland Regional, plays perennial powerhouse Tennessee on Sunday in Norfolk, Va.