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

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.

 

Related Stories
‹
Chansky's Notebook: Texas Takedown
Carolina exorcised some long-term and short-term memories. For old-timers who remember the 1977 NCAA championship game, Marquette is still a dirty word. And the Tar Heels’ home loss to that school last season stuck in the collective craw of all UNC fans now reveling in the 95-63 NCAA Texas takedown. And while we’re talking about […]
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 […]
UNC Falls Flat Against Marquette, Unable to Deliver Williams' 900th Win
Seeking his 900th career victory on Wednesday night at the Smith Center, UNC head coach Roy Williams will instead have to wait a little longer—as his Tar Heels couldn’t dig themselves out of an early hole in an 83-70 loss to Marquette. Just four days removed from arguably its most impressive win of the […]
UNC Basketball Adds Game Against Marquette for Feb. 24
In response to Tuesday’s scheduled game against Boston College getting postponed, the UNC men’s basketball team announced Saturday that it will host Marquette on Wednesday instead. The non-conference game will be the second that the Tar Heels have hosted in a span of a week, having replaced Virginia Tech on the schedule with Northeastern on […]
Chansky's Notebook: Most Talented Tar Heel?
Former UNC basketball mainstay Randy Wiel died earlier this week. Once upon a time, he was almost the Tar Heels' head coach.
You Can Go Home Again: Native Son Jarin Stevenson is Back in Chapel Hill
Jarin Stevenson’s commitment to Alabama in the summer of 2023 was a gut punch to anyone in Carolina Blue. The Seaforth High School superstar and son of a former Carolina women’s basketball player had been heavily recruited by UNC and was previously considered a future Tar Heel. But head coach Nate Oats and the Crimson […]
UNC Men's Basketball Ranked No. 25 in 2025-26 Preseason AP Poll
UNC men's basketball is ranked No. 25 in the preseason edition of the AP Top 25 poll, which was released Monday.
LEGOs, Stoicism and Basketball: UNC's Caleb Wilson is the Most Interesting Man in the World
Every morning, UNC freshman Caleb Wilson wakes up and reads Stoicism. “I feel like it’s beneficial to your mental health,” he said during a wide-ranging press conference at the Dean Smith Center Thursday afternoon. “I feel like it makes me approach the days differently […]
UNC Men's Basketball Brings Smiles, Laughter to ACC Tipoff
At least one high-profile team in Chapel Hill appears to be having fun. Head coach Hubert Davis, guard Seth Trimble and center Henri Veesaar were all in a jovial mood at the ACC Tipoff in Charlotte Tuesday afternoon, cracking smiles and telling jokes during their allotted 15 minutes at the podium. During Davis’ speaking time, […]
'You Play for So Much More': Highlights from UNC Men's Basketball's Day at the ACC Tipoff
UNC head coach Hubert Davis, guard Seth Trimble and center Henri Veesaar spoke at the ACC Tipoff in Charlotte Tuesday afternoon. The Tar Heels have a new-look roster this season, featuring multiple incoming transfers and freshmen. Trimble and forward James Brown are the only scholarship players returning from the 2024-25 season. Here are selected highlights […]
›