High-scoring 4-star Austin Swartz goes in-depth on visits
Austin Swartz is the No. 65 player in the 2024 On3 150. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard is the No. 100 player in the 2024 On3 Consensus. Swartz scored 24 points in his season opener for Concord (NC) Cannon School this week.
“I’m a shooter. I make shots; that’s my main thing,” Swartz told On3. “My passing is becoming a strong point for me, and I’m focusing on my defense, getting deflections. LeBron is my favorite player, so I watch a lot of him. He is an underrated scorer, but he does everything on the floor, defends, and gets assists. The best players are the ones who are not one-sided; they play both sides of the floor.”
This summer, with the Team Charlotte program on the UAA Next Circuit, the four-star guard led his team in scoring with 14.1 points on a 50.3 effective field goal percentage. On3 caught up with Austin Swartz to talk about visits and his recruitment.
“I haven’t locked in on official visits yet,” Swartz said. “I’ve been on unofficials to South Carolina, Clemson, Georgia, and Virginia Tech. All of them have offered except South Carolina.”
Swartz talks visits
Clemson: “I didn’t know the coaching staff much before I got there. On the visit, I got to know Coach (Brad) Brownell and Coach (Sean) Dixon. They’re really connected with their players, which stood out.
“I don’t know much about how they play, but I know Dillon Hunter and PJ Hall from when they were in high school. I also know about their football and their fans. Playing with Isaiah (Henry, the younger brother of KJ Henry), I hear a lot about that.”
South Carolina: “I’ve been there twice. The first time we didn’t do much other than go to the game and see some of the facilities.
“This last time, I got to talk with Coach (Lamont) Paris and Coach (Tim) Buckley. That is a school I think I might want to be at. I love the way they play. They like that I can create for myself and my teammates, and they tell me they need shotmakers. They say shotmakers win games.”
Georgia: “Their coaching staff, I really like Coach (Akeem) Miskdeen. I got to talk with Coach (Mike) White he talks about how he loves my shot-making ability. They think I could run the show there, pass, score; they say I’m the type of guard they’re looking for.”
Virginia Tech: “They love how I move without the ball. That is what they say they focus on because Coach (Mike) Young likes guards who are not one-dimensional. He really wants to space the floor, and he loves tough guards who can create.”
“I’m hearing from Wake Forest and Texas too, but they haven’t offered,” Swartz said.
In Swartz words
“I want to play for a coach that loves to push the pace,” Swartz said, “I want to go to a school that is guard-oriented and will let me be me. A system that trusts the guards to make plays in a free-flowing offense.”
Scouting report
Austin Swartz is a shot-making guard. Ar 6-5, he has solid length and great positional size. Swartz is more athletic than he may give off, getting high above the rim in transition. Swartz is a good stand-still shooter with good balance. Where he really excels is creating space off the bounce. His ability to get a clean look when guarded in the half-court is a real weapon. Swartz will need to continue adding weight. While he is a score-first guard, he is a capable passer and sees the floor well. He has the upside as a defender, but there has traditionally been an inconsistent effort on that end. He has a good handle and could play some combo guard at the next level. Playing up on the UAA Next 17u Circuit this summer, Swartz averaged 2.8 threes made per game and 14.1 points. His dad, Paul Swartz, played D2 basketball.