UNC Basketball: Dawson Garcia cuts list to four

The pursuit of transfer forward Dawson Garcia continues for the UNC Basketball program and they have made his first cut in the new recruitment.

Per Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, Garcia has cut his list down to four options in his new recruitment and will focus on North Carolina, Arizona, Illinois and returning to Marquette. However, Garcia is also an early entrant for the NBA Draft:

The news comes just after Garcia visited Illinois, North Carolina and Arizona all in a week span that was preceded by him participating in the G-League combine earlier in June. The talented forward is leaving the door open to a return to Marquette but is expected to withdraw his name from the NBA and return to college for at least one more season.

The 6-foot-11, 220-pound Garcia opted to enter the transfer portal just a few weeks back and right away UNC showed interest along with other schools. Garcia was a recruiting target of North Carolina and Roy Williams as part of the 2020 class but opted to commit to Marquette over the Tar Heels, Kansas, Indiana and Memphis among other programs.

In his lone season with the Golden Eagles, Garcia averaged 13 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while shooting 48 percent from the floor. Garcia had 24 points and 11 rebounds in a win over North Carolina in the Dean Dome last season, giving the Tar Heels a first-hand look at what he can do both offensively and defensively.

After taking visits to all three programs, a decision is likely coming for Garcia and potentially this week. He can opt out of the NBA and return to school by Wednesday. So it’s likely that we hear some news regarding the forward this week.

For more on Garcia and his decision, please make sure to check back with Keeping It Heel.