“When he gets rolling, he’s almost impossible to stop,” Prior Lake coach Bob Schweim said.

The Lakers, ranked No. 2 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, got a somewhat comfortable South Suburban Conference win over No. 9-4A Shakopee. Garcia was a big part of that, but his versatility seems to define the team.

Fellow big man Robert Jones is also 6-10, and also has the touch to shoot from distance and skills to handle the ball a bit. And the guards the Lakers run out all can work from anywhere on the floor, whether getting open on the perimeter, driving to the rim, or posting up.

The Lakers (4-1, 1-0), who couldn't get past the Class 4A, Section 2 semifinals a year ago, hope their diversity can drive them further this season. Having a do-everything big man should help that goal.

Garcia was a 6-2 point guard in eighth grade, but is now pushing 6-11. Some players take time to get comfortable with a growth spurt like that, but Garcia’s had no problems. He’s retained the ability to handle the ball and defend, and he’s near unblockable when his outside shot is falling.

“I’m still trying to work on everything, every bit of my game,” Garcia said. “I’m never going to be my maximum potential. I just wanna keep working, keep getting in the weight room, keep getting stronger, faster. Keep filling out my body, too.”

Garcia’s fielding offers from plenty of Division I programs, including Minnesota and Texas. He’s rated the 28th best prospect in the Class of 2020 in 247Sports’ composite rankings.

“He wants to go, not to the next level, but the level after that, and that’s an honest goal for him,” Schweim said. “He knows he’s got to have all those skills wrapped up. Watching a kid develop on his own like that, for the most part, off the court, and just sit there, and just two-ball, two-ball, two-ball, [and] videotape himself. Dawson is a cutthroat kid, and he wants to be the best, he wants us to be the best. I’ve got the best of every world here.”

All his skills were on display against Shakopee (4-2, 0-1). He stole a ball at midcourt, and was able to sprint ahead for a fastbreak dunk. He drove in from the perimeter, spun around one defender in traffic, then put up a floater in the lane against another — and though that shot didn’t go in, he followed it and got the putback anyway. Garcia also pulled down 12 rebounds and blocked a shot, to say nothing of other passes he affected or tipped.

What probably went unnoticed by fans in the 40-point effort was his defense on Shakopee star Charles Katona. Katona was held scoreless in the first half and finished with five points. So defense is also a strength for Garcia.

“That’s another thing — you’ve got two of the absolute best defenders in the state,” Schweim said. “Rob protects the paint, gets four or five blocks per game, and Dawson can lock down anybody. He guarded another could-be-all-state kid in Katona, and shut him down. That’s what Dawson does.”

All those skills won’t mean as much if the Lakers can’t make their return to the state tournament for the first time since 1976, though.

“Prior Lake usually hasn’t been known to get over the hump,” Garcia said. “I want to put them on the map. I want our team, our whole team wants to put us on the map and get back where we haven’t been since ‘76, which is the state tournament.”

Garcia took over against the Sabers, displaying some of the improved confidence he said he’s developed. But even then, that one long three at the end of the first may have been a bit showboat-y.

“But at the end of the first half, he didn’t need to sling that one,” Schweim said with a laugh. “There’s a couple there. But he gets in that [mood], you’ve got 1,500 people screaming to see another one, that’s kind of fun. That’s why we play.”