Austin Swartz reaping the benefits of breakout spring
Even as one of the top players in North Carolina, Austin Swartz didn’t have any goals that were atypical of most high school hoopers coming into the spring circuit season.
“I’m pretty confident with what I can do,” Swartz said. “ This was my first year playing in the Nike EYBL, so I knew that I’d have a bigger platform to show it, so I had to put in more work to get prepared.”
To combat the grind that is the Nike EYBL, by far the most grueling of the shoe circuit leagues, Swartz added eight pounds of muscle and worked to improve as a finisher at the rim.
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That attention to detail paid off immediately for Swartz, who wowed college coaches and scouts at the Nike EYBL’s first session in Atlanta last month to the tune of 21.3 points a game.
Since the spring, Swartz has picked up offers from Indiana, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Georgetown, Maryland, Florida State, Texas A&M and Notre Dame.
“It’s been pretty crazy this spring, but in a good way,” Swartz said. “The biggest thing is that I’ve become less one-dimensional than I was before. Anybody can stop somebody who just shoots, but when you can do more than one thing really well, that’s what makes you unguardable.”
Swartz has certainly proven to be quite the headache of a defensive assignment all spring.
At 6-foot-4, he’s a capable scorer at all three levels with the innate ability to move without the ball and put himself in optimal positions to score and create.
That IQ level has translated into Swartz checking in at No. 5 overall in the Nike EYBL in scoring, averaging 19.1 points a game, including 39.4 percent from the 3-point line after three sessions.
This past season, Swartz averaged 23 points, five rebounds and seven assists a game at Cannon School (Concord, N.C.).
The consistency and growth have brought about some pretty lofty comparisons from the college coaches on his heels.
“Coach (Justin) Gainey at Tennessee told me that I remind him of Devin Booker,” Swartz said. “That was a big one. I mean, if I can be like Devin Booker then we’re gonna have a great life. Stuff like that just makes me want to keep working.”
That clout coupled with the production makes Swartz a prime candidate for a big jump from his No. 135 ranking in the Rivals150.
In the meantime, Swartz is planning to take “a couple of visits” next month, but he’s not sure where just yet.
In addition to the eight new offers this spring, Virginia Tech and Georgia are schools that have stood out with Swartz.
“I’m excited to get out and see some schools,” Swartz said. “I haven’t taken any visits, so I want to see what separates different places. I’m open too. Even being here in North Carolina, I never really grew up a fan of any particular school. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love the offers, but I just wasn’t a fan of teams. I’m more a fan of players. I plan to take my time because I really want to see what everyone has to offer.”