Highly-coveted transfer target Dawson Garcia announced Thursday he is taking his talents from Marquette to UNC for the upcoming season.

A 6-foot-11, 225-pound forward, Garcia is coming off a fantastic freshman season at Marquette where he averaged 13.0 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while shooting 48.0 percent from the floor and 35.6 percent from three-point range. He earned a spot on the Big East All-Freshman team for his efforts.

Garcia also led Marquette to an 83-70 victory over UNC at the Smith Center on Feb. 24 this past season, scoring 24 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in that game.

After testing the NBA Draft process, he decided recently to enter his name into the NCAA transfer portal — where he accepted a second chance to join the Tar Heels. Former head coach Roy Williams offered Garcia a scholarship as a high-schooler in Minnesota, where he was a McDonald’s All-American and an AAU teammate of current Tar Heel guard Kerwin Walton.

Garcia becomes the third transfer to join the UNC roster for next season under new head coach Hubert Davis, joining Justin McKoy (Virginia) and Brady Manek (Oklahoma).

All three incoming transfers help fill the frontcourt void left by the departures of Day’Ron Sharpe, Garrison Brooks and Walker Kessler. They also represent Davis’ plan to use his big men out on the perimeter much more than Williams traditionally did, as their three-point shooting ability will help UNC adapt to the way the game is changing.

With Garcia, Manek and McKoy able to stretch out to three-point line, it could allow junior forward Armando Bacot — who recently pulled his name out of NBA Draft consideration — more space to work inside the paint.

 

Photo via Associated Press

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