Tag: Dawson Garcia

Former UNC basketball player discusses his exit from program

Dawson Garcia comments on his exit from North Carolina after half a season.

The 2021-22 season was a special one for the North Carolina Tar Heels’ basketball program. Despite falling short in the national championship game, the Tar Heels made a historic run to that title game in Hubert Davis‘ first year.

There are a lot of memories from that season, leading into their run to the Final Four and ending Coach K’s career with a win over Duke. However, earlier in the season, the team saw an important player depart.

Dawson Garcia committed to UNC as one of the best players in the transfer portal. He joined a transfer class that also included Brady Manek. Garcia was a starter for UNC before he suffered a concussion in early January. Then in the next few weeks, he left the program for the rest of the season. Garcia then transferred to his home state of Minnesota to be with family.

But now, we are hearing from Garcia on the decision to transfer and what UNC meant to him.

In an interview with The SchuZ Show, Garcia is asked about his time at UNC and he had nothing but positive things to say about the program. He talked briefly about his decision to transfer and what the program meant to him.

“The season started and everything really happened fast. Like you said, I had a lot of personal and family matters that were going at the time that affected me and my family,” Garcia said. “So I really don’t care to get into that stuff but yeah, North Carolina basketball was a great experience. I learned from a lot of greats, played with a lot of great teammates, and so I’m really thankful for that whole experience.”

That’s a respectful answer from Garcia on the subject. He very easily could have taken shots at people or gone a different direction with his answer. It really does suck that it didn’t work out for him in what was a special season.

Garcia is getting set to enter his senior season with Minnesota and will be a key player for the Gophers in the Big Ten.

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Armando Bacot discusses Dawson Garcia’s exit from UNC basketball program

Armando Bacot offered his thoughts on why Dawson Garcia left the UNC basketball program.

The 2021-22 UNC Basketball season was full of ups and downs in Hubert Davis’ first year. He did land a good transfer class with Brady Manek, Dawson Garcia, and Justin McKoy which helped the roster.

But one of the lows in the season was Garcia leaving the team early on in ACC play. The forward went back to Minnesota as he was dealing with family issues. While we don’t know the full story of what exactly happened, his former teammate Armando Bacot talked about the departure a little bit.

Here is what Bacot said during a recent interview on Theo Pinson’s “Run Your Race” podcast:

“We started Dawson (over Brady Manek) because, at the time, he was supposed to go to the league,” Bacot said during a recent interview with Theo Pinson on the Run Your Race podcast via Inside Carolina. “He had a lot of stuff going for him. He was skilled. He was a good player, but he didn’t realize what Carolina was all about. He didn’t realize that if you play a bad game, they are going to tell you about it. A lot of that stuff was tough for him. He had a lot of family stuff going on. Then Coach Davis began starting Brady, and then after that, he just got his s*** and left.”

That’s interesting.

There were reports of family issues that Garcia had to attend to in Minnesota, then he ultimately made the decision to stay there and not return to the program. Garcia then transferred out and committed to the Gophers to continue his NBA career.

It appeared to work out in the end for UNC as Manek helped lead UNC to a Final Four run.

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Rutgers men’s basketball vs Minnesota: Prediction, point spread, odds, best bet

Betting odds and television details for Rutgers at Minnesota.

On Sunday afternoon, Rutgers men’s basketball will put their undefeated February record on the line against the Golden Gophers. After an up-and-down start to the season, Rutgers has looked like a different team over the last few weeks. As a result, they have started to climb up the Big Ten Standings.

Entering this matchup, Minnesota will be looking to end their two-game losing streak. After a strong start to the month, they allowed 174 points to Iowa and Purdue.

 

As the Golden Gophers look to secure their 16th win of the season, they will be tasked with stopping Jeremiah Williams. In four games, he has averaged a team-high 14.3 points per game. With the Chicago native in the lineup, Rutgers is undefeated.

In this Big Ten matchup, there should be plenty of fireworks between two teams, with much to prove.

Scroll down and check out everything you need to know including television times and betting lines for Sunday’s Big Ten game featuring Rutgers at Minnesota!

Rutgers men’s basketball puts undefeated February record on the line against Minnesota

Rutgers men’s basketball is looking to continue their hot streak at Minnesota.

During the first few weeks of February, conference play has been no issue for Rutgers men’s basketball. The Scarlet Knights are 4-0 and will look to stay undefeated on Sunday against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
While Minnesota already has 15 wins, they have lost two straight.

Entering this game, Aundre Hyatt has started to heat up after a slow start to the month. In his last two games, Hyatt has scored at least 10 points. He has also gotten some help from Clifford Omoruyi, who has been a monster on the boards. In Rutgers wins over Wisconsin and Northwestern, he added 22 rebounds to his resume. 

While Minnesota will have their hands full with the talented duo, Rutgers will be tasked with stopping Dawson Garcia. The Minnesota junior is averaging a team-high 16.4 points per game. He has also made an impact on the boards, averaging 6.4 rebounds a game.

 

 

Although Rutgers has performed much better in conference play lately, they have struggled on the road. In eight games away from Jersey Mike’s Arena, they have posted a 3-5 record. This matchup is a perfect opportunity for them to conquer their road demons.

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Furthermore, a win would be huge for Rutgers in the Big Ten standings. They trailed Nebraska by one game, entering play on Saturday. This game should provide plenty of exciting moments with a lot on the line.

Penn State basketball gets needed road win against Minnesota

Penn State basketball found a way to get a needed win on the road against lowly Minnesota

Penn State took care of business Saturday night against Minnesota. They won 76-69 to secure their second road win of the season.

This was a must-win game for the Nittany Lions.

After keeping their slim NCAA tournament hopes alive with a win over Illinois on Tuesday, they couldn’t afford a slip-up against the last-place team in the Big Ten.

Penn State started the game hot. They made five of their first six shots before the 16-minute media timeout. Minnesota was also matching them shot for shot and it was a close game for the first 10 minutes.

At the 10:22 mark, [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] hit a jumper to take lead and Penn State never looked back.

They never relinquished the lead again for the rest of the half. Minnesota managed to tie the game at 29, but that was the closest they came.

Penn State used an 8-0 run to go into the halftime locker room with a 10-point lead.

During Penn State’s losses, it’s been a tale of two halves; a successful one and one full of cold shooting and defensive lapses.

That looked to be the case early in the second half.

The Nittany Lions scored one point over in six and a half minutes after halftime. Minnesota took a 46-48 lead with 14 minutes left in the game.

The road struggles seemed to be rearing their ugly head again.

However, this game was different. Penn State used an 11-0 run to come from behind and take a 61-52 lead with eight and a half minutes to go.

This closed the book on the game.

The closest Minnesota ever got to the lead again was three points.

Coming off his historic performance at the Bryce Jordan Center, Pickett was sensational again.

He finished the game with 32 points and a near triple-double, adding nine rebounds and eight assists.

Senior guards [autotag]Camren Wynter[/autotag] and [autotag]Andrew Funk[/autotag] added 14 and 11 points respectively. Minnesota forward [autotag]Dawson Garcia[/autotag] was the game’s second-leading scorer with 23 points.

This was an important victory for Penn State. They kept themselves close to the March Madness bubble and set up a big showdown against Ohio State who travels to Purdue on Sunday.

Penn State travels to Ohio State on Tuesday night. The game will be aired on Fox Sports 1 at 6:30 pm ET.

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UNC guard Anthony Harris enters transfer portal

UNC basketball redshirt-sophomore guard Anthony Harris will enter the transfer portal after three seasons at North Carolina.

The second player of the offseason has entered the transfer portal from the UNC basketball roster. First was forward Dawson Garcia and on Wednesday afternoon it was announced that guard [autotag]Anthony Harris[/autotag] would join him.

Harris did not see action for most of the second half of the season for ‘undisclosed reasons’, not playing since early January.

In 14 games during the 2021-22 season, Harris averaged 2.6 points in 11.8 minutes per game. In three seasons at North Carolina, Harris played in just 35 games and averaged 3.5 points in 11.4 minutes per game.

The 6-foot-4 redshirt-sophomore guard was limited in game action due to injuries that derailed the early part of his UNC career. He tore his left ACL in December 2018 during his senior season in high school. After missing the first month of the regular season of his freshman year at North Carolina, he tore the ACL in his right knee, which kept him out until January 2021.

Harris showed promise coming out of high school and early in his UNC career as he scored in double-figures in two of his first eight games. He failed to reach double-digit points in the remaining 27 appearances in Chapel Hill.

Harris was originally committed to Virginia Tech out of high school but eventually re-opened his commitment and ultimately choosing North Carolina.

The Virginia native had the reputation of an energy player off of the bench who was a feisty defensive option on the wing. He was a former four-star recruit.

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Dawson Garcia enters transfer portal for second time

UNC basketball forward Dawson Garcia is in the transfer portal for the second time according to a report.

At least one member of the UNC basketball program isn’t returning for another season in Chapel Hill.

Forward [autotag]Dawson Garcia[/autotag] is in the transfer portal according to a report from Inside Carolina on Wednesday morning. The 6-foot-11, 235-pound Garcia has not played for the Tar Heels since January as the program announced on Jan. 24th that he was returning home to Minnesota to deal with a family illness. Shortly after that, the program announced he would not return again for the season.

Garcia spent one year at Marquette before transferring to North Carolina for his sophomore season. He opted to transfer and join the Tar Heels over programs like Illinois and Arizona who both had interest.

In 16 games last season, Garcia averaged 9.0 points and 5.5 rebounds and was a starter for Hubert Davis’ team up until he suffered an injury in early January.

UNC is still awaiting decisions from R.J. Davis, Armando Bacot, Caleb Love and Leaky Black on returns. There is also the chance other players enter the portal as well.

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Could UNC try to get involved with Texas Tech transfer?

Texas Tech transfer Terrence Shannon Jr announced he will not return to the program. With UNC ties, the Tar Heels could be an option.

With the 2021-22 season in the books and roster turnover expected for every program in college basketball, UNC now turns to the transfer portal to potentially fill some needs for next season.

It is expected that both [autotag]Caleb Love[/autotag] and [autotag]Armando Bacot[/autotag] will at the very least go through the NBA Draft process and test their stock. The Tar Heels will definitely be losing [autotag]Brady Manek[/autotag] from this years roster and there is still a decision to be made for versatile wing [autotag]Leaky Black[/autotag] — who has the option to use a fifth year under the Covid rules.

Also, with the expectation that [autotag]Dawson Garcia[/autotag] ends up not returning to the program — which is assumed — after leaving mid-season to return home with family health issues, North Carolina will need some help on the perimeter and at the hybrid forward position.

One player with Carolina ties is Texas Tech transfer [autotag]Terrence Shannon Jr[/autotag]. Shannon made it official and announced on Thursday that he will be leaving Texas Tech. He would have two years of eligibility remaining.

Coming out of high school in the 2019 class, Shannon had a top six of North Carolina, DePaul, Georgetown, Florida State, Illinois and Texas Tech.

In three years at Texas Tech he had a career average of 11.0 points per game, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists. He also has shot 35.1 percent from three on 205 career attempts (2.5 per game). This season he shot a career best 38.4 percent from three.

At 6-foot-6 and 210 pounds, Shannon has been a very versatile wing who played and guarded a few different positions, from the ‘2’ to the ‘4’ at Texas Tech.

Shannon played with Bacot at IMG Academy in high school.

With Hubert Davis looking to continue the trend of a non-traditional lineup with more versatility out of his forwards and wings, Shannon could be a fit for the Tar Heels next season.

He is expected to be one of the most sought-after players in the transfer portal this offseason and someone who will make an immediate impact wherever he decides to go.

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Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Aggregate NBA mock draft 2.0: Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith battle for No. 1

In order to help us get a better sense of where all of the projected top prospects in the class stand as of right now, we compiled mock drafts from ESPN, NBADraft.net, CBS Sports, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo, Basketball News and USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s For The Win.

Please note that these rankings reflect the composite score to get a feel for consensus, not our own opinion.

Since our last update, the players who have improved the most spots are Ismael Kamagate (Paris), Moussa Diabate (Michigan), Azuolas Tubelis (Arizona), Hugo Besson (New Zealand), Efe Abogidi (Washington State),  Iverson Molinar (Mississippi State), Justin Lewis (Marquette), Max Christie (Michigan State), EJ Liddell (Ohio State), and Ochai Agbaji (Kansas).

The most notable prospects making their debut on our rankings are Trevor Keels (Duke), Bryce McGowens (Nebraska), MarJon Beauchamp (G League Ignite), Keon Ellis (Alabama), Christian Koloko (Arizona), Wendell Moore (Duke), Blake Wesley (Notre Dame),  Josh Minott (Memphis), Zach Edey (Purdue), and Johnny Davis (Wisconsin).

Some of the top prospects who did not make the cut this time included Hunter Sallis (Gonzaga), Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (Tennesse), Kobe Bufkin (Michigan), Mouhamed Gueye (Washington State), Jahvon Quinerly (Albama), Adam Flagler (Baylor), Jaylin Williams (Auburn), Matthieu Gauzin (Le Mans), Isaiah Wong (Miami), Marcus Williams (Texas A&M), and Tyson Etienne (Wichita State).

Otherwise, you can learn the latest updates on every single prospect who has been included in recent mock drafts by scrolling below.

HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report

2022 aggregate NBA mock draft: Debut ranking of all notable prospects

The 2021 NBA draft class finished their first go-around in the summer league, which means evaluators are fully focused on next year’s class.

The 2021 NBA draft class finished their first go-around in the summer league, which means evaluators are fully focused on next year’s class.

In order to help us get a better sense of where all of the projected top prospects in the class stand as of right now, we compiled mock drafts from Bleacher Report, Yahoo, The Athletic, Yahoo, SB Nation, NBADraft.net, CBS Sports, and USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s For The Win.

Please note that these rankings reflect the composite score to get a feel for consensus, not our own opinion.

Collegiate teams who had more than two players appear on a mock were Auburn, Baylor, Duke, Kentucky, Michigan, Tennessee and UCLA. Three players will be on the G League’s Ignite roster and one is on Overtime’s Elite squad.

Additionally, seven players are rostered in Spain and four are playing in Australia’s NBL. There are also three players on Serbia’s KK Mega Basket included.

Freshmen one-and-done candidates who didn’t make the list but could climb on to join during the season: Harrison Ingram (Stanford), Trevor Keels (Duke), Bryce McGowens (Nebraska), Josh Minott (Memphis), Kowacie Reeves (Florida), Bryce Hopkins (Kentucky), Nathan Bittle (Oregon) and Jeremy Sochan (Baylor).

Some of the most notable collegiate returners who were snubbed from these rankings: Marcus Williams (Texas A&M), Jonathan Davis (Wisconsin), Kofi Cockburn (Illinois), Zach Edey (Purdue), Adam Miller (LSU), Colin Castleton (Florida) and Tyson Etienne (Wichita State).

Relevant international prospects to know who were not included below: Fedor Zugic, Lefteris Mantzoukas, Jayson Tchicamboud, Nikita Mikhailovskii, Yoan Makoundou, Tom Digbeu and Makur Maker.

Otherwise, you can learn the latest updates on every single prospect who has been included in recent mock drafts by scrolling below.

HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report

Main Image: Coley Cleary / USA TODAY Sports Media Group