Andy Katz: Minnesota’s Dawson Garcia a top-5 wing in the nation

Dawson Garcia is expected to be one of the best players in college basketball this season.

Mar 9, 2024; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Dawson Garcia (3) makes a three point basket against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images / David Banks-Imagn Images

The Gophers are less than 40 days away from their season-opening exhibition against Bemidji State, and veteran forward Dawson Garcia is already getting hype as one of the best players in college basketball.

National college basketball reporter Andy Katz released a list ranking the top-16 wings in college basketball for the upcoming 2024-25 season, and Garcia is No. 4.

Matchup nightmares 👀@TheAndyKatz names his top wings for 24-25 🪽

🗞️: https://t.co/gAXxSk78fr pic.twitter.com/r4haMz9ha8

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) September 11, 2024

Wing is quite a subjective position designation for Garcia, as he has produced like an elite rebounder throughout his career and he's averaged only 2.8 3-point attempts per game. But, he's coming off a season in which he averaged 17.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game on 48.6/31.9/80.2 shooting splits, so the high praise is warranted.

Minnesota had a chaotic offseason with transfer portal movement, but Garcia opted to return to the Gophers and not pursue more lucrative NIL packages from bigger programs. According to Katz's list, Rutgers true freshman Ace Bailey is the only wing better in the Big Ten conference.

If the Gophers want to reach their full potential and return to the NCAA Tournament in 2024-25, they will need production from their backcourt. Mike Mitchell Jr. returns alongside incoming transfers Lu'Cye Patterson and Tyler Cochran. But at the end of the day basketball is often powered by stars and Garcia has all the traits of an all-conference player this season.

Garcia had foot surgery this offseason and he's expected to be fully healthy for the regular season. If he's able to remain healthy throughout the year, he could have a career year for the Gophers.