Illinois Basketball: Dawson Garcia would be a game-changer for the Illini
Illinois basketball is still trying to find a piece or two to fill out their roster for the upcoming season.
I love the talent Brad Underwood and the Illini coaching staff have already brought into the program. Omar Payne will be a nice option at the No. 5 spot with Kofi Cockburn departing. The Illini backcourt will also get a shot in the arm with the addition of Alfonso Plummer. The sharpshooter will replace some of the missing production from Ayo Dosunmu’s departure.
But the new additions might not be done just yet. On Saturday, Jeff Borzello of ESPN reported that there were a number of teams showing interest in transfer, Dawson Garcia. The teams Borzello named included Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma State, North Carolina, George Mason, Minnesota and Illinois.
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
Coming out of Prior Lake High School in Minnesota, Garcia was a wanted man. He was rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 32 player in the class of 2020. He was also the No. 4 power forward in the nation and the No. 2 player coming out of Minnesota.
Marquette ended up landing Garcia, but he would only spend one season with the Golden Eagles. In the lone year with Marquette, Garcia averaged 13 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Those are pretty good numbers for a true freshman going up against tough competition.
Garcia would be a game-changer for the Illinois basketball roster.
Illinois is losing Kofi Cockburn, which puts the program in a pickle when it comes to the starting No. 5 spot. Payne is the best option for that position right now, but having someone like Garcia come into the program would give the Illini roster even more stability.
I could see Garcia starting at the No. 5 alongside players like Andre Curbelo, Trent Frazier, Plummer and Jacob Grandison. That is a dangerous lineup that could go pretty far come March.
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If Garcia has any interest in coming to Champaign, I believe all the resources should be dumped into landing him. He would help take Illinois from a title contender to a title favorite.