With the transfer season in full swing, Syracuse is looking to bolster a roster that will likely be without major contributors like Kadary Richmond and Robert Braswell. After landing Marquette transfer Symir Torrence to soften the blow, Syracuse is rumored to be pursuing forward Cole Swider, who is transferring from Villanova.
The 6-foot-9 junior averaged nearly six points per game while shooting over 40% from behind the arc. While Swider wasn’t a major scoring option for head coach Jay Wright’s team, he did average nearly 19 minutes per game.
Swider was originally a four-star prospect in the 2018 class that attended the same high school as former SU guards Michael Carter-Williams and Brycen Goodine. The Orange were one of Swider’s finalists in his high school recruitment, before choosing Villanova.
Swider is crafty at finding open passing lanes, where teammates can locate him from behind the arc for open threes. He’s also terrific in transition, and is able to sprint past transitioning defenders for easy buckets. While he’s not the quickest player on the court, Swider is solid at finding openings within a defense, and moves very well without the ball.
This past season there were plenty of moments where Syracuse’s off-ball offensive players simply stood around, waiting for a dribbler to create shots. Swider doesn’t do that. Instead, he rotates well and moves into passing lanes.
At 225 pounds, Swider has the size and bulk that Syracuse is lacking. While he’s best in catch and shoot opportunities, Swider will also back down smaller defenders into the paint when there is a size mismatch. Once he’s on the low blocks, the junior likes to utilize an easy hook shot to score over his defender.
If SU was able to land him, he would add more depth to the Orange’s three-point shooting, and serve as a nice depth piece for the 2-3 zone. With his size, Swider could guard the corners, or move inside and serve as a power forward.
