Clemson basketball coach Brad Brownell along with his assistants were courtside a lot last summer watching 6-4 Austin Swartz of Concord, NC perform on the AAU circuit. Brownell first talked with Swartz after watching him perform, and the two have grown closer ever since. Earlier this month after an unofficial visit for a football game, Swartz was offered by Brownell.
“They love my personality and how I am as a person. They thought I’d be a great fit there,” Swartz said. “They love the way I shoot the ball, the way I space the floor. Love my ability to create my own shot. They love the tools that I have that I can bring to the table from a physical side also.”
As impressed as Brownell and his assistants were with Swartz, he felt the same way about them after seeing them up close and in action on his visit.
“The coaching staff is awesome. They are really, really caring,” Swartz said. “That’s really important to me, especially how much they communicate with their players, which is really huge. The connection between them and the players is awesome. That’s something that I might want to be a part of one day. I’m not sure yet. That really stuck out to me.”
Swartz is continuing to evaluate his options, but the visit certainly put Clemson in a strong spot with him.
“This definitely bumps them up on my list for sure,” Swartz. “Definitely puts them in the ranks of maybe somewhere I want to go one day when that decision time comes. I wouldn’t say there’s one above anybody else. I’d say everybody is on a level playing field right now.”
Swartz was at Virginia Tech this past Saturday. He’s also visited USC, though the Gamecocks have not offered, along with Georgia, Wake Forest and Appalachian State. He plans to visit NC State this Saturday. He does not plan to make a decision until next summer.
Last season Swartz averaged 17 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists per game.
