Johnson heard of other programs offering Garcia close to $1 million, so the coach was bracing to possibly lose a hometown hero. There are indications that Dinkytown Athletes, the Gophers’ collective, has signed deals with Gophers men’s basketball players well into six-figures, but not in the millions.
Still, in early April, Garcia showed up to the practice facility to tell his head coach he was staying put.
“Gave him a big hug,” Johnson said then. “He left a lot of money on the table. That’s a credit to him. There are things he weighed, and his family weighed. I hope our fans really can appreciate that.”
At the end of last season, Garcia made it pretty clear how much he cared about the state. He also didn’t hide that he was considering other options. Nothing could compare to solidifying his Gophers legacy.
“I take a lot of pride wearing Minnesota across my chest,” Garcia said. “Waking up every single morning, it gives me a lot of purpose to try to accomplish something that’s very meaningful.”
Fox, who has overcome two season-ending knee injuries, is older than his Gophers teammates and bought a house with girlfriend, Taylor Heise, an ex-Gophers hockey star who won a PWHL championship last year for Minnesota.
