A little over one year ago, Syla Swords was discussing the thrill of being named to the Bio Steel All-Canadian game roster, looking forward to her grade 11 season with the Lo-Ellen Prep Knights.
As we caught up near the end of June, the 17 year-old Sudbury native who had moved to New Jersey last September (her father, Shawn, had accepted a coaching position within the Brooklyn Nets organization) was nearing the end of a tryout camp with the Canadian national women’s team, mere months after committing to the Michigan Wolverines NCAA program beginning in the fall of 2024.
Yep – a lot has changed in the past twelve months.
And while one could understand the incredible challenge of moving from a lifetime of basketball involvement at all levels in Sudbury to tackling the captain’s role at Long Island Lutheran this past winter, a high-school team that ranked among the very best in the entire United States of America, this well grounded young woman displayed a wonderful perspective.
“I think the adjustment was more about getting used to my new teammates, how to be able to put them in situations to be successful,” said the elder of the two ultra-talented basketball talents of Shawn and Shelley Swords (as I write this, younger sister Savannah is fresh off a 22-point performance vs the USA in the final of the U16 FIBA Women’s America Championship in Mexico).
“Playing the game itself is pretty similar wherever you go – and coach Jen (Jennifer Bourget) at Lo-Ellen Prep is a great coach. Her training really translated well for my game, helping me in any situation at all.”
Those situations would include capturing the prestigious Nike Tournament of Champions last December in Arizona, considered by most observers as the best girls’ high-school tournament in the country, and culminating by falling to Montverde Academy of Florida in the national final in April.
“At the first practice, we had a lot of college coaches on the sidelines and we had a really good practice, lots of energy,” recalled Swords. “It was obvious that there were a lot of good players, good in their own separate way; it was just seeing how we would come together. That was the one question the coaches had.”
The answer was unveiled as the victories piled up, the Lu-Hi Crusaders surging their way up the American rankings. On a personal level, Syla Swords quickly found her niche, contributing in an area of the game where she has grown in leaps and bounds in recent years.
“My shooting has improved a lot since last year,” said Swords. “On this team, my role changed. I was a shooter, which wasn’t the case when I was really young. Back then, I was always the tallest player on the court.”
By contrast, the Crusaders starting lineup included a 6’5” teenager at centre, guards that top out at 6’2” and 5’9”, and younger sister Savannah who now looks down upon Syla as she also nears the 6’2” mark. What she was asked to do in high-school, thankfully, is not substantially dissimilar to her recent experience in Toronto.
“Even with Team Canada, they are pushing me to get into more of a point guard role,” said Syla. “I am really looking forward to developing with that, putting myself in situations where I am not going to be comfortable right away.”
As one of just two 17 year olds in a group of 14 women at tryouts, with a team of 12 ready to be selected for the FIBA AmeriCup Olympic qualifier in Mexico in July (* editorial note: Swords did make the team and has looked impressive in her first game action with the national team), Swords can be forgiven for being slightly in awe.
“It’s crazy because I’ve watched these girls play in the Olympics, so actually being in the gym with them, seeing what they do and how they operate has been really cool,” she said.
Still, she has a job to do, a spot on the team that she covets, knowing that she is already penciled in to attend the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup in Spain from July 15th to the 23rd. “I know that I have prepared myself for this moment, I’ve earned the right to be at this camp. I’m learning as much as I can, knowing that I’ve worked hard to be here and I can do what I do at this level.”
It’s that kind of maturity, coupled with a top-30 recruitment status that appealed to the University of Michigan – with Swords equally as impressed with her new home to be in a year’s time. “Kim Barnes Arico (Wolverines head coach) has a great reputation for being really personable but also knowing how to push her players,” stated Swords.
“She’s very good on the developmental side, with multiple players drafted to the WBNA.”
And in the fast-changing world in which Syla Swords resides, these are all very good things indeed.