Cole Alexander Swider (/ˈswaɪdər/ SWY-dər;[1] born May 8, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Motor City Cruise of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Villanova Wildcats and the Syracuse Orange.
 Swider in 2017 | |
| No. 13 – Detroit Pistons | |
|---|---|
| Position | Power forward / small forward |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | May 8, 1999 Portsmouth, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | St. Andrew's School (Barrington, Rhode Island) |
| College | |
| NBA draft | 2022: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2022–present |
| Career history | |
| 2022–2023 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2022–2023 | →South Bay Lakers |
| 2023–2024 | Miami Heat |
| 2023–2024 | →Sioux Falls Skyforce |
| 2024–present | Detroit Pistons |
| 2024–present | →Motor City Cruise |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Early life
editSwider grew up in Portsmouth, Rhode Island and attended the St. Andrew's School.[2] Swider was named the Rhode Island Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior after averaging 26.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game.[3] He averaged 31 points per game in his senior season.[4] Swider was rated a four-star recruit and committed to play college basketball at Villanova over offers from Syracuse, Xavier and Duke.[5]
College career
editSwider began his collegiate career at Villanova. He played in 31 games and started 15 during his sophomore season and averaged 6.1 points and 2.9 rebounds.[6] As a junior, he played in all 25 of Villanova's games and averaged 5.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. After the season, Swider entered the NCAA transfer portal.[7]
Swider ultimately transferred to Syracuse.[8] He became the Orange's starting power forward and averaged 13.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game.[9] Following the end of the season, Swider announced that he would be entering the 2022 NBA draft and hiring an agent.[10]
Professional career
editLos Angeles / South Bay Lakers (2022–2023)
editAfter going undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft, Swider signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers on July 1, 2022, splitting time with their G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers.[11] Swider joined the L.A. Lakers' 2022 NBA Summer League roster.[12] In his Summer League debut, Swider scored thirteen points, six rebounds and a block in a 100–66 win against the Miami Heat.[13]
On July 26, 2023, Swider was waived by the Lakers.[14]
Miami Heat / Sioux Falls Skyforce (2023–2024)
editOn August 11, 2023, Swider signed with the Miami Heat[15] and on October 21, his deal was converted into a two-way contract.[16]
Detroit Pistons / Motor City Cruise (2024–present)
editOn August 8, 2024, Swider signed with the Indiana Pacers,[17] but was waived on October 18.[18] Three days later, he signed a two-way contract with the Detroit Pistons.[19]
Career statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | Villanova | 21 | 0 | 9.5 | .375 | .283 | .632 | 1.2 | .6 | .1 | .0 | 3.5 |
| 2019–20 | Villanova | 31 | 15 | 18.5 | .442 | .352 | .667 | 2.9 | .6 | .2 | .3 | 6.1 |
| 2020–21 | Villanova | 25 | 2 | 18.8 | .426 | .402 | .750 | 2.8 | 1.1 | .5 | .1 | 5.7 |
| 2021–22 | Syracuse | 33 | 33 | 34.3 | .440 | .411 | .866 | 6.8 | 1.4 | 1.0 | .4 | 13.9 |
| Career | 110 | 50 | 21.7 | .432 | .381 | .794 | 3.7 | .9 | .5 | .2 | 7.8 | |
NBA
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | L.A. Lakers | 7 | 0 | 5.9 | .333 | .375 | — | 1.0 | .6 | .0 | .0 | 1.3 |
| 2023–24 | Miami | 18 | 0 | 4.8 | .395 | .333 | 1.000 | .4 | .3 | .1 | .1 | 2.3 |
| Career | 25 | 0 | 5.1 | .383 | .342 | 1.000 | .6 | .4 | .0 | .0 | 2.0 | |
References
edit- ^ "2023-24 start of season NBA pronunciation guide". NBA.com (Press release). October 24, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
- ^ Rogers, Steve (June 22, 2022). "Will Portsmouth's Cole Swider land in the NBA? Recent workouts suggest there's a chance". The Newport Daily News. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
- ^ "Swider named RI Gatorade Player of the Year". The Providence Journal. March 20, 2017. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
- ^ "Cole Swider". The Providence Journal. April 21, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
- ^ Goodman, Jeff (June 30, 2017). "Villanova lands forward Cole Swider, No. 48 recruit in ESPN 100". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
- ^ Holmes, C.J. (September 15, 2020). "How could Villanova's rotation shake out? Version 1.0 of our projection". The Athletic. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
- ^ Juliano, Joe (April 1, 2021). "Villanova junior forward Cole Swider to enter NCAA transfer portal". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
- ^ "Villanova Wildcats' Cole Swider transferring to Syracuse Orange". ESPN.com. Associated Press. April 6, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
- ^ "Cole Swider found right situation at Syracuse. Can he do it again in NBA?". The Post-Standard. June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
- ^ Koch, Bill (April 3, 2022). "Syracuse basketball Cole Swider enters NBA Draft 2022, from RI". The Providence Journal. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
- ^ "Lakers sign Scotty Pippen Jr. and Cole Swider to Two-Way Contracts". NBA.com. July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ "Los Angeles Lakers 2022 NBA2K23 Summer League Roster | NBA.com". NBA.com. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- ^ "Los Angeles Lakers vs Miami Heat Jul 2, 2022 Box Scores | NBA.com". NBA.com. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- ^ "Los Angeles Lakers Sign Alex Fudge to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. July 26, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
- ^ "HEAT MAKE ROSTER MOVES". NBA.com. August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
- ^ "HEAT SIGN DRU SMITH TO STANDARD CONTRACT". NBA.com. October 21, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
- ^ "Indiana Pacers Sign Freeman and Swider". NBA.com. August 8, 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
- ^ "Indiana Pacers Announce Roster Moves". NBA.com. October 18, 2024. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
- ^ "DETROIT PISTONS SIGN COLE SWIDER TO A TWO-WAY CONTRACT". NBA.com. October 21, 2024. Retrieved October 21, 2024.