(Update: Swider committed to Syracuse on Saturday afternoon)
New IU coach Mike Woodson says he wants to spread the floor, play up-tempo and shoot 3-pointers with four players out on the perimeter. That sounds like a style that fits Villanova transfer Cole Swider, and Indiana is showing strong interest in the junior forward.
Morey Hershgordon, Sports Anchor & Reporter for WPRI 12 in Providence, R.I. first reported Indiana’s interest in Swider, On Friday Hershgordon said on his Twitter page IU was one of four schools making the biggest push to add Swider to its 2021-22 roster
“I’m told these schools are recruiting Villanova transfer Cole Swider the hardest: Syracuse, Rutgers, Indiana, and Arizona,” Hershgordon said.
Swider, a 6-foot-9 forward from the Class of 2018, chose Villanova from a list of finalists that also included Xavier and Syracuse. He was a four-star prospect out of St. Andrew’s School in Barrington, Rhode Island.
He started two games this season, 15 in 2019-20 and appeared in 77 total with Villanova. A true stretch four, Swider is a 3-point shooting specialist who excels at finding catch-and-shoot openings in half court sets and transition opportunities. He was No. 70 nationally in KenPom.com offensive efficiency, a measure that was fueled by his standing at No. 40 with a 9.1 percent turnover rate.
This season, he averaged 18.8 minutes, 5.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game while connecting on 40.2% of his attempts from behind the 3-point arc. As a sophomore in the 2019-20 season, Swider averaged 6.1 points and 2.9 boards per contest over 18.5 minutes while shooting 35.2 percent from long range.
As a recruit Swider was a 4-star and ranked as the No. 44 player in the 2018 class by the 247Sports Composite. In addition to Villanova, Swider had offers from Indiana, Duke, Syracuse, Xavier, UConn, Michigan, Texas and many others. He played his grassroots basketball on the Nike circuit with BABC.
Swider will reportedly look to make a decision in April. His highlights from the 2019-20 season are below.
More transfer portal names to know:
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