STARKVILLE – Andersson Garcia has inked his National Letter of Intent with the Mississippi State men’s basketball program (NLI) announced Tuesday during the spring signing period.
Garcia, a 6-7 forward from Moca, Dominican Republic, will begin his freshman season for the Bulldogs in 2020-21. He prepped under Zach Ferrell at Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Hamilton Heights is the same high school program as rising MSU redshirt senior Abdul Ado.
Garcia is an extremely athletic forward and is excellent in transition. Offensively, he is strong driver, passer, shooter and ball-handler. He is a very solid defender who works hard and can guard the one through four positions on the defensive end.
Garcia posted 9.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game and shot 61 percent from the floor during his senior season. Hamilton Heights piled up a 28-3 record en route to the NACA National Championship and a USA Today top 20 national finish in 2019-20.
Garcia played the AAU circuit for the Atlanta Celtics where he and fellow MSU freshman Deivon Smith won the Adidas Gauntlet U17 event in Birmingham last summer. He also was recruited by Illinois, Kansas State, Minnesota, Missouri and Southern Cal among others.
COACH HOWLAND ON GARCIA
“We are very excited about Andersson’s commitment to join the Bulldog family. He’s a terrific player who is very skilled. He has a great feel on offense and moves well with and without the ball. Andersson is an outstanding defensive player due to his quickness, his length and his anticipation. He also is a very good rebounder. Combined with the fact that he is an outstanding person who is extremely motivated and hardworking, Andersson comes from a great family. He will be an excellent addition to our program and look forward to having him at Mississippi State.”
COACH FERRELL ON GARCIA
“I believe Andersson is one of the most undervalued players in the entire country. He is long, athletic and plays with an endless motor. He is an elite rebounder and defender. He has great versatility offensively and can play and guard multiple positions. The thing I believe that will make Andersson successful on the next level is his ability to learn, improve and do whatever it takes to win. He will be a huge addition to the Mississippi State program.”
Mississippi State won 11 of its last 15 SEC games to earn a top 4 finish in the conference standings, the program’s highest overall regular season finish since 2010-11. The Bulldogs have tucked away three consecutive 20-plus win seasons under sixth-year coach Ben Howland, and the first time dating back to the 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons. The 68 victories are the fourth-highest total in program history for a three-year span.
