UW lands JC big man for 2009-10 season

Anticipating a time when its front line needs revamping, the Washington men's basketball team has secured a commitment from Chuck Garcia, a junior-college forward with impressive credentials.

Garcia, a 6-foot-9 1/2, 225-pound big man from Riverside (Calif.) Community College, is considered one of the nation's top 10 JC players, according to Mike Mitchell, who runs Midwest Scouting Service in Oklahoma City.

"Physically he's got all the tools," Mitchell said. "He's really a good player, very athletic, an over-the-rim player. For sure, he's a Pac-10 level player. He's a good get for them."

Garcia has one more season of junior-college eligibility he must expend before joining the Huskies for the 2009-10 season. He hails from Los Angeles' Dorsey High School and originally signed with Sacramento State, with grade problems keeping him from heading to a bigger school and forcing him to leave the Hornets.

"He was on everyone's radar," Mitchell said. "He just didn't have any grades."

Washington's most prominent Dorsey player previously was Reggie Ball, a starting forward from 1971-73.

As a freshman for Riverside, Garcia averaged 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocks per game for a 25-8 team and was named an all-state selection. He also received recruiting attention from Tennessee, Nebraska, USC and San Diego State.

"If he had played in the Pac-10 as a freshman, he would have played a lot of minutes and been one of the top returning young players coming back," Mitchell said.

Garcia is the third JC player recruited by the Huskies in Lorenzo Romar's six seasons as coach, joining guard Tre Simmons and forward Hakeem Rollins, who were signed from Green River CC and Mesa (Ariz.) CC in Romar's first year.

Washington will spend the upcoming months finding two more players for this recruiting class, which is half-full with Garcia and guard C.J. Wilcox from Pleasant Grove, Utah.