North Carolina men’s basketball coach Hubert Davis picked up a key addition to its roster Thursday as Marquette transfer Dawson Garcia announced he is headed to Chapel Hill.
The 6-foot-11 rising sophomore led the Golden Eagles with 13.0 points per game and 6.6 rebounds per game last season as a freshman. UNC coach Hubert Davis saw Garcia’s effectiveness up close when he dropped 24 points and added 11 rebounds in Marquette’s 83-70 win in the Dean E. Smith Center last season.
Garcia’s arrival solidifies the Tar Heels’ frontcourt for next season.
The Heels were decimated after last season with forward Day’Ron Sharpe declaring for the NBA draft, senior forward Garrison Brooks transferring to Mississippi State and promising freshman center Walker Kessler leaving for Auburn. It left forward Armando Bacot as the only remaining post player with experience.
Davis used the transfer portal to not only replenish the roster, he added post players who can shoot from outside. Oklahoma transfer Brady Manek, a 6-foot-9 forward, is a career 37% shooter from 3-point range. Virginia transfer Justin McKoy, a 6-foot-7 forward who played at Panther Creek High School, didn’t have many attempts in his reserve role, but it is in his skillset too.
Garcia, who is from Prior Lake, Minnesota, shot 35% from 3 last season.