University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Garcia Granted Immediate Eligibility by NCAA
8/26/2022 5:09:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Minnesota transfer forward Dawson Garcia was granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA, head coach Ben Johnson announced today.
"We're obviously very excited to have Dawson on the court this season," head coach Ben Johnson said. "I want to personally thank Director of Compliance Jeremiah Carter for all his hard work in this process. Dawson is an experienced competitor who will make an immediate impact on the court. We're looking forward to building on what he accomplished this summer into the season."
Garcia, a 6-11, 235 forward from Savage, Minn., joins the Gophers after playing in 16 games for North Carolina last season where he averaged 9 points and 5.5 rebounds. Starting in 12 games for the Tar Heels, Garcia also shot 40.5 percent from the field. Prior to his time at UNC, Garcia played at Marquette in 2020-21. During his collegiate rookie season, Garcia started in all 27 games and averaged a team-best 13 points and 6.6 rebounds. Garcia scored double-digit points in 17 games with the Golden Eagles and led the Big East freshmen in scoring and rebounding, which ranked 13th and 11th overall. He was named Big East Freshman of the Week three times that year and later was named to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team.
While at Prior Lake High School, Garcia was named a 2020 McDonald's All-American and Mr. Basketball finalist. He scored 2,092 points during his Lakers career and earned first-team all-state, all-conference and all-metro honors as a senior. Garcia led PLHS to the Class 4A, Section 2 championship game as he averaged 27.5 ppg and the school's first-ever sectional final as a Class 4A program.
The Gopher men's basketball team opens the 2022-23 season with an exhibition game against St. Olaf on Nov. 2, while the season home opener is slated for Nov. 7 when Western Michigan comes to town.