Why it was logical for Dawson Garcia to come to Carolina.
The 6-11 rising sophomore, who torched the Tar Heels during Marquette’s regular-season upset in the Smith Center last February, is a transfer who plays immediately with a lot of options.
No. 1, Garcia raises Hubert Davis’ recruiting chops even more and makes Hubert’s first team a solid contender for the ACC championship, which translates to national contender. So, Garcia’s goal of winning an NCAA title is on the table from day one. If the Tar Heels have a great season, and Garcia stars in a now-loaded UNC front court, his NBA stock will rise. He tested it this spring with honors but was not invited to the combine, which is why he withdrew and entered the transfer portal.
No. 2, Garcia is more comfortable with Carolina than any other school on his list, including a return to Marquette under new coach Shaka Smart. He seriously considered signing with Roy Williams in 2019, when Davis was the lead recruiter, and it’s clear he likes Hubert.
No. 3, Garcia has chosen the perfect program for his game. Davis has talked about a more open floor on offense, and with Garcia and Oklahoma transfer Brady Manek the Tar Heels will be scoring from anywhere. They could have a three-man rotation in the post or all three could play together as both Garcia and Manek are stretch 4s.
And No. 4, coming to Carolina is a no-lose situation for Garcia. If he has that great season, he goes back into the NBA draft to see how much he has climbed as a projected 2022 pick. If he is still not high enough, he could return to UNC as a junior, when grad transfer Manek will be gone and junior Armando Bacot may leave, as well.
In that case, Garcia would be even more important to the Tar Heels, who will have some new big men in the fold by then and a veteran perimeter to play with. So that could prove a tremendous opportunity to showcase his talent and versatility even further.
Full disclosure, I had barely heard of Dawson Garcia before Marquette benefitted from his double-double here. By halftime, he was clearly the best big man on the floor, better than Bacot, Day’Ron Sharpe and Walker Kessler. Garcia wound up on the Big East All-Freshman team.
Now this Mr. Inside-Mr. Outside is on our side.
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