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Syracuse sharpshooter Cole Swider announces decision for basketball future

Wade-Peeryby:Wade Peery•04/03/22
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(Photo by Samuel Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Syracuse sharpshooter Cole Swider is one of the purest shooters in college basketball. On Sunday afternoon, he announced in a post on his Twitter page that he will forgo his final season of college eligibility, sign with an agent, and declare for the 2022 NBA Draft. He played his first three seasons with the Villanova Wildcats before transferring to Syracuse for his final season of college basketball.

Below is the post which he posted on his Twitter page.

Cole Swider’s message to Syracuse and their fans

“A year ago I had no idea what the next steps were for my basketball career,” Swider wrote. “With my parents by my side I decided to trust God and find a new home. From the moment I told Coach Boeheim I was coming to Syracuse, things fell into place for me. I was welcomed by a great group of guys, taught by a Hall-of-Fame coach and his great staff, and supported by all of Orange Nation. I want to thank GMAC, Coach Red, Coach Griff, and D-Nic for mentoring me through this year and giving a kid from Rhode Island a second chance. To all of the managers for sacrificing your nights and mornings to help me out. I’ve developed as a person and a basketball player, and I’ve grown stronger in my faith. I’ll be forever thankful for the opportunities Syracuse provided. I believe it is time to challenge myself at the next level. After consulting with Coach Boeheim and my family, I’ve decided to sign with an agent, forego my last year of college eligibility, and declare for the 2022 NBA Draft. Thank You, Syracuse! I will always be Orange!”

While he put up pretty good numbers for most of the 2021-2022 season, Swider flat out erupted in a few of the final games of the year for Syracuse. On Feb. 28 against UNC, he exploded for a career-high 36 points while connecting on a blistering 7-of-11 three-point attempts. Then in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals, he poured in 28 points while drilling 9-of-15 field goal attempts. He also corralled 13 rebounds in the Orange’s 96-57 humiliation of the Florida State Seminoles.

In his first game with Syracuse this season, Swider drilled five three-pointers and finished with a team-high 21 points. Simply put, when he was at his best, the former Villanova Wildcat could compete with the best shooters in the country. It will be interesting to see what kind of niche he can carve out in the NBA in the future.

Coming out of high school, Swider was rated as a four-star prospect and the No. 26 overall basketball player in America, according to the On3 Consensus Rankings for the 2018 cycle. He chose Villanova over offers from Syracuse, Duke, Texas, Indiana, and many others.