UNC sophomore forward Dawson Garcia, who hasn’t played with the Tar Heels since the end of January, announced Wednesday he would be entering the transfer portal for the second time in two years.

Garcia arrived on the UNC campus last fall after transferring away from Marquette following the 2020-21 season. He played in 16 games for Carolina this past season, starting 12 of them before suffering a concussion in the opening minutes of a game at Boston College on January 2. Garcia wouldn’t appear in another game for nearly two weeks, and never regained his starting role from graduate forward Brady Manek.

Following a January 22 loss at Wake Forest, Garcia left the team to return home to Minnesota, where he later revealed members of his family were battling serious illnesses. He wouldn’t appear in another game for the rest of the season. In his time in Chapel Hill, Garcia averaged 9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 37.5 percent on three-pointers.

Garcia said in his announcement on Twitter he had decided to stay in closer proximity to his family. Due to this being his second time transferring, Garcia would not be eligible to play immediately at his new school, per NCAA rules. However, Garcia can apply for a family hardship waiver, which allows athletes to be immediately eligible if their transfer is related to family illnesses.

 

Featured image via Todd Melet

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