Chansky's Notebook: Strange Journey

Dawson Garcia with and without Marquette and Carolina.

This is certainly not the first time a player has been on two teams that faced each other in the NCAA tournament. But it may be the most unusual situation of that nature ever. As a freshman, 4-star recruit Garcia averaged 13.3 points and 6.6 rebounds for the Golden Eagles, who are the Tar Heels’ opponent in both schools’ NCAA opener Thursday in Fort Worth.

Garcia’s highest profile game at Marquette was at UNC last year in a late arrangement after both teams lost COVID-affected games. He had 24 points and 11 rebounds in a stunning victory, which lifted his pro basketball prospects.

After the season, he entered the NBA Draft without an agent, returned to Marquette and, when Shaka Smart was named the new coach, went into the transfer portal. Having been recruited by Hubert Davis out of high school and playing with Kerwin Walton in AAU ball, Garcia signed with UNC.

He battled fellow transfer Brady Manek for the big forward position and started 12 of the first 13 games until suffering a concussion at Boston College. Manek moved into the starting role and his game blossomed as the ACC’s best-shooting big man.

Garcia came off the bench until leaving school on January 23 to tend to health issues with his family back in Minnesota. He never returned and, while the Heels’ depth dwindled, they won 12 of 15 games to earn the No. 8 seed in the East Region.

Smart, who has never lost to UNC as a coach at VCU and Texas, also had to reconstruct his roster, and likely could have used Garcia to be a better rebounding team. The Golden Eagles trail the Tar Heels in rebounding totals, average and margin.

Meanwhile, it is easy to wonder how Garcia staying at UNC would have affected his new team. While he would have provided much-needed depth, Garcia’s 9 points and 5.5 rebounds might have cut into Manek’s emergence.

Wherever both players end up next season, it is unclear how Garcia’s strange journey will ultimately affect his two college teams as the Big Dance kicks off this week.

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Chansky’s Notebook: Strange Journey

On Air Now: 97.9 FM