Dawson Garcia, the Gophers men's basketball team's leading scorer and rebounder, might miss Wednesday night's game against Indiana because of an ankle injury, coach Ben Johnson said Tuesday.
Injury could keep Gophers leading scorer Dawson Garcia out of Indiana game
Coach Ben Johnson said the team was "going to be smart" about the right ankle sprain hindering Garcia.
January 25, 2023 at 5:54AM
"The good thing is it's not anything significant," Johnson said on his radio show. "The bad news is it could be something that keeps him out of a game potentially. We're going to be smart like we do all of our guys. We're never going to put a guy in jeopardy of further injury for this year or down the line just for a game."
Garcia, a 6-11 sophomore, appeared to suffer a noncontact injury when he crumpled to the floor in pain after hitting a three-pointer in the corner with 8 minutes, 18 seconds left in Sunday's 60-56 loss against Michigan in Ann Arbor. He was grabbing his lower right leg.
Garcia limped off the court and to the locker room. He appeared to be in heavy discomfort while hobbling around for a couple of minutes after returning to the game.
"Thankfully there's no breaks," Johnson said. "He couldn't push off of it very much. He wanted to give it a go. Give him a ton of credit. It just got to a point where you just don't want further injury. He's just out there like a lame duck. The kid's a warrior, but he just couldn't go."
After transferring from North Carolina, Garcia became one of the top newcomers in the Big Ten while averaging a team-best 14.9 points and 6.3 rebounds in 30 minutes this season. The highlight of the season was his 28-point performance, a career high, in a Jan. 12 win at Ohio State.
The Gophers already were hampered by injuries before Garcia went down. Freshman guard Braeden Carrington is out for three to four week because of a right leg stress reaction. Junior forward Jamison Battle, the team's second-leading scorer, has played with a back injury for the past few games. Battle also missed the first four games this season after foot surgery.
"If he can go, great," Johnson said about Garcia. "If he can't, then we got to have a couple guys step up."
Seven players transferred from a 19-win team, some for more NIL money. But the Gophers who stayed -- Parker Fox, Mike Mitchell Jr. and Dawson Garcia -- want to finish what they started.
