'Rare in this climate': Parker Fox applauds Dawson Garcia's loyalty

'Finishing something you start is rare in this climate,' Fox posted on social media.

Michigan State forward Xavier Booker (34), forward Jaxon Kohler (0), Minnesota forward Parker Fox (23) and forward Dawson Garcia (3) battle for the rebound during the second half of the second round of Big Ten Tournament at Target Center in Minneapolis on Thursday, March 14, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

As players have come and gone via the NCAA transfer portal, Dawson Garcia has remained steadfast in his return to the Gophers men’s basketball program. 

Garcia, the Gophers’ leading scorer from a year ago at 17.6 points per game, originally transferred to the U ahead of the 2022-23 season after spending a season apiece at Marquette and North Carolina. He’s been one of Minnesota’s most consistent contributors over the last two years. 

And he will be again this upcoming season. Garcia has stuck with the Gophers despite seeing three of his fellow starters from last season in Pharrel Payne, Cam Christie and Elijah Hawkins enter the portal. 

“I truly hope Gopher fans/college basketball fans understand how genuinely special (Garcia) is,” teammate Parker Fox posted Thursday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “Finishing something you start is rare in this climate. He’s a huge reason why I chose to come back for my last year. Lotta work to do but no one I would rather do it with #loyal.” 

I truly hope Gopher fans/college basketball fans understand how genuinely special @Dawson23lee is. Finishing something you start is rare in this climate. He’s a huge reason why I chose to come back for my last year. Lotta work to do but no one I would rather do it with #loyal 〽️ https://t.co/XTvfWR3AzF

— Parker Fox (@Parkerfox24) May 2, 2024

Fox, who was a spark plug off the bench for the U last season, particularly down the stretch, has one year of eligibility remaining and was undecided during the season whether he would return for one last run with the Gophers. Fox transferred to Minnesota out of Division II Northern State back in 2021, but back-to-back ACL tears sidelined him his first two years at the U. 

Fox averaged 5.1 points and 2.9 rebounds per game last season. 

Garcia and Fox figure to be two veteran leaders of a Gophers team that’s seen plenty of roster turnover since the season ended with a second-round loss in the NIT to Indiana State on March 24. Along with Hawkins, Payne and Christie, the U also lost Braeden Carrington, Isaiah Ihnen and Josh Ola-Joseph to the transfer portal this offseason. 

Meanwhile, the Gophers have added transfers Caleb Williams (Division III Macalester), Brennan Rigsby (Oregon), Femi Oduake (New Mexico State) and Frank Mitchell (Canisius). The Gophers are also bringing in a 2024 freshman class that features Cherry, Minn. guard Isaac Asuma and Alexandria, Minn. forward Grayson Grove.