Keeping It Heel
Fansided

UNC Basketball: Tar Heels’ projected 2021-22 starting lineup

By Blake Cockrum

CHAPEL HILL, NC - DECEMBER 12: Garrison Brooks #15, Caleb Love #2, Armando Bacot #5, and Leaky Black #1 of the North Carolina Tar Heels talk during a game against the North Carolina Central Eagles on December 12, 2020 at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 67-73. (Photo by Peyton Williams/UNC/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - DECEMBER 12: Garrison Brooks #15, Caleb Love #2, Armando Bacot #5, and Leaky Black #1 of the North Carolina Tar Heels talk during a game against the North Carolina Central Eagles on December 12, 2020 at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 67-73. (Photo by Peyton Williams/UNC/Getty Images) /
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UNC Basketball
CHAPEL HILL, NC – FEBRUARY 24: Dawson Garcia #33 of Marquette takes a throw-in during a game between Marquette and North Carolina at Dean E. Smith Center on February 24, 2021 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Andy Mead/ISI Photos/Getty Images) /

Dawson Garcia

Dawson Garcia was on the Tar Heels’ radar back in 2019 when he was a highly-touted 4-star prospect out of Prior Lake, Minnesota. Roy Williams and company had a good shot at getting Garcia to Chapel Hill prior to the commitment of 5-star big man Walker Kessler. Once Kessler pledged to the Tar Heels, though, it effectively ended their pursuit of Garcia, who ultimately chose Marquette over a host of other schools including Arizona, Baylor, Butler, Kansas and Texas.

But with Kessler now gone — he transferred to Auburn following the 2020-21 season — the 6-foot-11, 220-pound Garcia didn’t pass up the opportunity to play for the Tar Heels upon his June departure from the Golden Eagles. Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels immediately jumped at the opportunity to add the former UNC target to their depleted front court, and it helped that Davis, an assistant coach at the time, was Garcia’s lead recruiter two years ago.

Now, Garcia, a versatile power forward that was ranked 13th in the nation among players in the NCAA transfer portal by ESPN, will have the opportunity to play under the bright lights of the ACC in Chapel Hill. He’ll almost undoubtedly do so as a starter alongside Armando Bacot, as Garcia has the ability to play inside or out, and stretch the floor for his front court counterpart to operate more freely in the post.

That’s something that the Tar Heels didn’t have much of last season, as Bacot, Garrison Brooks and Day’Ron Sharpe simply don’t possess the tools. Kessler, however, does have the ability to step back and knock down some long-range shots, but his lack of minutes and the Tar Heels’ style of play last season didn’t provide him with much opportunity to do so. But then, that’s why Kessler won’t be in a Carolina uniform this season, isn’t it?

At least the next time that Garcia scores 24 points and pulls down 11 rebounds in the Dean Smith Center — he did just that in Marquette’s upset win over North Carolina in February — it’ll be for the Tar Heels rather than against them.

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