Former Prior Lake star and North Carolina mover Dawson Garcia was waived by the NCAA on Friday from his immediate eligibility to play on the Gophers men’s basketball team this season.
Garcia, who is 6 to 11 years old and weighs 235 pounds, is a former McDonald’s All-American who returned to Minnesota last year to support her family battling COVID-19.
“We are very excited to have Dawson on the court this season,” Gophers head coach Ben Johnson said in a statement. I’m looking forward to building into the season what we’ve achieved.”
Garcia appeared in 16 games, including 12 starts, for North Carolina last season, averaging 9.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 37.5% from 3-point range. He started his career with Marquette, earning All-Big East freshman honors in 2020-21.
“That’s what we need in this league at this level,” Johnson previously said. “We need players with that kind of talent.”
In his first 10 games with the Tar Heels, Garcia averaged 12.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 47.8% shooting percentage and 49.4% shooting percentage. His three 20-point performances include his season-high 26 points on his 10-for-13 shooting against Purdue.
After entering the transfer portal last spring, Garcia spoke with the Gophers about playing in the Home State program and helping build a foundation. Did.
“Ben has done an incredible job of establishing a culture in one year,” Garcia previously said. The same is true when we say that we were part of the process of getting back.”
Garcia is expected to start in the frontcourt alongside Jamison Battle, the scoring and rebounding leader for the Gophers, who played in the same D1 Minnesota AAU program in high school.
Junior forwards Parker Fox and Isaiah Inen suffered season-ending knee injuries for the second year in a row this summer. should also provide depth inside.
The Gophers open on November 2 with an exhibition game against St. Olaf, but the regular season begins on November 7 with a game against Western Michigan at Williams Arena.
