Texas Basketball: Dawson Garcia the ideal final transfer addition
The activity in the NCAA Transfer Portal for the Texas basketball program might be ready to resume this week following a huge recent addition for new head coach Chris Beard earlier this month. Texas men’s hoops landed a commitment out of the transfer portal from the former UMass Minutemen star sophomore center Tre Mitchell back on June 16.
A new name has shown up in the transfer portal this week for Beard and the Longhorns that could potentially be one to watch in the coming days and weeks. The former uber-talented and potent four-star recruit and freshman Marquette Golden Eagles power forward Dawson Garcia put his name in the transfer portal
Coming out of Prior Lake High School in Prior Lake, MN, during the 2020 recruiting cycle, Garcia was offered by former head coach Shaka Smart and the Longhorns. Texas looked to be one of the top schools during his recruitment, but Marquette wound up winning his commitment in the end.
But now that Smart is the Golden Eagles head coach in 2021, it looks like Garcia wants to go elsewhere. It feels like Smart is never able to get Garcia to play for him, wherever he goes. At least that’s what happened this offseason and during Garcia’s recruitment.
North Carolina, Arizona, Texas, Illinois, Oklahoma State, Minnesota and George Mason are among the schools to show interest in Marquette transfer Dawson Garcia, source told ESPN. A return to the Golden Eagles is also a possibility. 13.0 PPG, 6.6 RPG last season.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) June 26, 2021
Pursuing former Marquette PF Dawson Garcia the right move for Texas basketball
According to a report on Twitter from Jeff Borzello on the afternoon of June 26, Texas is one of multiple programs currently showing interest in Garcia. The other programs that Borzello noted that are chasing after Garcia in the portal right now are the Arizona Wildcats, North Carolina Tar Heels, Illinois Fighting Illini, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Minnesota Golden Gophers, and George Mason Patriots.
Texas would do well to help to round out their rotation by landing a commitment from Garcia out of the transfer portal. They’ve already formed a potentially elite rotation between what players are returning for next season, the incoming four-star signee Jaylon Tyson, and the transfer portal additions thus far.
Garcia could have all four years of eligibility left thanks to the NCAA ruling that all athletes who played during the 2020-21 academic calendar didn’t lose a year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The combination of immediate impact that Garcia could make along with the long-term ceiling he brings to the table for the frontcourt rotation is hard to match with any other player in the transfer portal at the moment.
What Garcia would also do for Texas is likely to solidify the frontcourt rotation for at least the next two years alongside Mitchell. During his true freshman campaign at Marquette, Garcia averaged 13.0 points per game, 6.6 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.3 steals, and 0.5 blocks. And he shot 48 percent from the field, 36 percent from beyond the arc, and 78 percent from the free-throw line.
Next. 3 former LSU players to get out of the portal. dark
Texas hired the former Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Beard to assume the same role on the Forty Acres back on April 1. That followed the March 26 departure of the former Texas head coach Smart, who is now in the same role with Marquette in his home state of Wisconsin.