Andrew Garcia

Biography

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 th