UNC Asheville head men’s basketball coach Mike Morrell announced Monday (June 2) the hiring of Andrew Garcia as an assistant coach.
Garcia joins Asheville’s coaching staff following a season at Mercyhurst University, but Garcia is no stranger to the Big South Conference, as he spent five seasons at USC Upstate before his stint at Mercyhurst.
Garcia helped Mercyhurst go 15-16 in the Lakers’ first season as a Division I program. In conference play, Mercyhurst went 9-7, winning its final two conference games of the season. Due to Mercyhurst’s transition to Division I, the Lakers were not eligible for postseason play.
While at USC Upstate, Garcia helped lead the Spartans to steady success, with the 2021-22 season being one of the best in Upstate’s Division I era. The Spartans earned the number two seed in the Big South basketball tournament and set a program record for conference victories as a Big South member with 10, while also reaching the tournament semifinals for the first time as a Big South member.
Before Upstate, Garcia spent three seasons as the head coach at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pa. He was hired as the program’s first-ever men’s basketball coach and guided the Cougars to their first berth in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Tournament in 2016. The Cougars captured their first PAC Tournament victory that season with a 74-64 win over Geneva.
Prior to being hired at Chatham, Garcia spent three years as an assistant coach at Carnegie Mellon. He served as the program’s recruiting coordinator, oversaw all opponent scouting for the majority of the regular season games, and organized all aspects of team video instruction. He orchestrated the team’s defensive scheme and philosophy for the 2012-13 season.
Garcia was an assistant coach for two seasons at Flagler College. His duties included all preseason, postseason, and individual workouts with the team. He was also in charge of implementing a recruiting plan for high school and JUCO players in the state of Florida.
He started his coaching career as a graduate assistant for two seasons at Marshall. During his time with the Thundering Herd, Garcia had the opportunity to work with ten players who continued their careers in the professional ranks.
Garcia played for former USC Upstate head coach Dave Dickerson at Tulane for three seasons and led the team in assists twice. As a senior, he was the team’s captain, a member of the Conference USA All-Academic Team, and scored a career-high 23 points against Southern Miss.
Before attending Tulane, Garcia was a walk-on for the football team at the University of Pittsburgh in 2003.
The Pittsburgh, Pa., native is a 2002 graduate of Central Catholic High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Tulane in 2006 and completed his master’s in adult and technical education at Marshall in 2009. Garcia is married to his wife, Brittany, and the couple has three children: Penelope, Nikolai, and Oliver.
“I want to thank Coach Morrell for welcoming me into a program with a rich basketball tradition and a championship culture,” said Garcia. “My family and I are excited to join the UNC Asheville Athletics Department and become part of the Asheville community. I look forward to contributing to UNC Asheville’s continued success and helping build on its reputation as the premier program in the Big South Conference. Go Bulldogs!”
