University of Minnesota senior forward Dawson Garcia (Savage, Minn.) has been named to the 2024 Preseason All-Big Ten Team, announced today by the Big Ten Conference. It marks the second straight year Garcia has landed a spot on the preseason list and the fourth All-Big Ten recognition of his career.

Garcia, a 2024 second and third-team All-Big Ten selection, returns for his final year after averaging 17.6 points and is the top returning Big Ten scorer from a year ago. Of the returning Big Ten athletes, Garcia ranks first in scoring and is only one of six returners who received All-Big Ten honors in the 2023-24 season. An Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Garcia was also a NABC All-District Second Team selection last year and a top 10 finalist for the Basketball Hall of Fame’s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award. Along with his team-high 17.6 ppg, Garcia also led the team with 6.7 rebounds per game. He had 28 double-digit games, 12 20-point games and three 30-point games. This year, Garcia was also named to the Blue Ribbon Preseason All-Big Ten selection.

Minnesota holds two exhibitions on Oct. 19 and Oct. 29 before beginning the 2024-25 campaign on Nov. 6 vs. Oral Roberts.

Preseason All-Big Ten Team (as determined by a media vote)
Oumar Ballo, Indiana
Payton Sandfort, Iowa
Dawson Garcia, Minnesota
Brooks Barnhizer, Northwestern
Bruce Thornton, Ohio State
Jackson Shelstadt, Oregon
Ace Baldwin Jr., Penn State
Braden Smith, Purdue*
Dylan Harper, Rutgers
Great Osobor, Washington

Preseason Player of the Year
Braden Smith, Purdue
*denotes unanimous selection

Dawson Garcia (Savage, MN)

(info and photos courtesy of Gopher Sports)

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