Ben Johnson hopes Gophers fans appreciate Dawson Garcia
Gopher Coaches Show with Ben Johnson, Dawson Garcia
This week on the FOX 9 Gopher Coaches Show, men's basketball coach Ben Johnson and forward Dawson Garcia talk about the team's final four games and hopes for the rest of the season with Ahmad Hicks and Justin Gaard.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The University of Minnesota men’s basketball team has four regular season games left, and hopefully at least one game in the Big Ten Tournament.
That means the career of Gophers’ forward Dawson Garcia is soon coming to a close. Minnesota hosts Northwestern Tuesday night, but Garcia and the Gophers’ final home game will be March 5 against rival Wisconsin. On this week’s Gopher Coaches Show with FOX 9’s Ahmad Hicks and KFAN’s Justin Gaard, coach Ben Johnson laid out what Garcia means to him. He hopes Gophers’ fans show appreciation for Garcia when Senior Night comes.
"You don’t always get a guy like Dawson, especially here. I hope people just appreciate who he is as a man. Handles his business the right way, carries himself the right way, never had anything off the court, academically killing it, great in the community," Johnson said. "To me when I think of Dawson, I think of a well-rounded person that you want to be able to say this is what Minnesota basketball is about."
Garcia’s path to Minnesota
What we know:
A star at Prior Lake and a McDonald’s All-American, Garcia chose Marquette out of high school. He played one season there, leaving after Steve Wojciechowski’s firing. He then went to North Carolina, and came home to be closer to family.
He’s finishing his third season with the Gophers, and stayed home for his final year despite multiple opportunities at other programs.
"Any time you get to step on this floor and wear the Minnesota uniform, it’s a pleasure, it’s an honor. I’m sure after my career is over, whenever that may be, I’m sure I’ll look back and think about it more," Garcia said. "Right now I’m just focused on each game at hand."
Garcia’s impact
Why you should care:
With still at least four games to play, Garcia has 1,467 career points at Minnesota. He had 495 points combined between Marquette and North Carolina. If you count those, his 1,962 points would be in line to pass Minnesota’s all-time leading scorer Mychal Thompson, who had 1,992 points.
Garcia is fourth in the Big Ten in scoring at 19.4 points per game, and his six career 30-point games.
It’s his hope that Minnesota’s season extends not only to the Big Ten Tournament, which takes the league’s top-15 teams, but also has a path to the NCAA Tournament.
"I feel like our best basketball is still ahead of us," Garcia said.
Regardless of how the Gophers’ season closes, Garcia deserves a standing ovation when the Badgers visit on March 5.