STARKVILLE — Mississippi State’s men’s basketball team added some depth to its frontcourt by signing Andersson Garcia on Tuesday.

Garcia, a 6-7 forward from Moca, Dominican Republic, will begin his freshman season for the Bulldogs in 2020-21. He played high school basketball at Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Hamilton Heights is the same high school program as rising MSU redshirt senior Abdul Ado.

Garcia is a versatile forward who can guard four positions on the defensive end, and handle the ball on offense.

Garcia averaged 9.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game and shot 61 percent from the floor during his senior season. Hamilton Heights piled up a 28-3 record en route to the NACA National Championship and a USA Today top 20 national finish in 2019-20.

Garcia played on the AAU circuit for the Atlanta Celtics, where he and fellow Mississippi State freshman Deivon Smith won the Adidas Gauntlet U17 event in Birmingham last summer.

Garcia also was recruited by Illinois, Kansas State, Minnesota, Missouri and Southern Cal among others.

“We are very excited about Andersson’s commitment to join the Bulldog family. He’s a terrific player who is very skilled. He has a great feel on offense and moves well with and without the ball,” Mississippi State coach Ben Howland said. “Andersson is an outstanding defensive player due to his quickness, his length and his anticipation. He also is a very good rebounder. Combined with the fact that he is an outstanding person who is extremely motivated and hardworking, Andersson comes from a great family. He will be an excellent addition to our program and look forward to having him at Mississippi State.”