| Syla Swords | |
| Team: | Michigan Wolverines |
| Number: | 12 |
| Position: | Guard |
| League: | Big Ten Conference |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 0 |
| Birth Date: | 28 January 2006 |
| Birth Place: | Mulhouse, France |
| Nationality: | Canadian |
| High School: |
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| College: | Michigan (2024–present) |
| Highlights: |
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Syla Swords (born January 28, 2006) is a Canadian college basketball player for Michigan. She attended Long Island Lutheran and was a five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2024 class. She is also a member of Canada women's national basketball team.
Swords was born in Mulhouse, France, where her father Shawn Swords played professional basketball. She moved to Sudbury, Ontario at two years old.[1] She began her high school career at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School in Sudbury. She was named to the 2022 BioSteel All-Canadian Basketball Game, where she was the youngest player named to the roster.[2] [3] She moved to Long Island, New York after her father accepted a coaching position with the Long Island Nets in August 2022.[4] [5]
In her first season at Long Island Lutheran as a junior, she averaged 14.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game to lead the Crusaders to the 2023 Class AA New York State Federation Tournament of Champions championship. She scored a game-high 27 points in the championship game and led her team all season long from behind the three-point line.[6] She also helped Long Island Lutheran to the Nike Tournament of Champions title in 2022.[7] Following the season she was named first-team All-Long Island by Newsday.[8] She was named to the World Team for the inaugural women's Nike Hoop Summit in 2023. She was again named to the World Team in 2024.[9] [10]
On November 8, 2023, she signed her National Letter of Intent (NLI) to play college basketball at Michigan.[11] She is the highest-ranked recruit in program history at the time of signing her NLI.[12] She was named to the 2024 McDonald's All-American Girls Game. Swords, along with incoming freshman Olivia Olson, are the program's first high school signees to earn the honor.[13] [14] During her senior year she averaged 17.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 3.0 steals through 22 games and was named New York Gatorade Player of the Year.[15]
On November 4, 2024, Swords made her collegiate debut for Michigan, and recorded a game-high 27 points and 12 rebounds, for her first double-double, in a 62–68 loss to AP No. 1 South Carolina.[16] She became only the third player since the 2009–10 season to have at least 27 points and 12 rebounds against the Gamecocks. Her 27 points were the most for a Michigan freshman in their debut in the NCAA era.[17] On November 8, in an 86–55 victory over Lehigh, she recorded 20 points, six rebounds, five assists and one steal. She ended the third quarter on a personal 9–0 run, hitting a three-pointer as time expired in the quarter.[18] She was subsequently named the Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week for the week ending November 11, 2024.[19] During the Fort Myers Tip-Off, she averaged 19.0 points and 7.0 rebounds, to help lead Michigan to the Shell Division Championship, where she was named tournament MVP. She was subsequently named the Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week for the week ending December 2, 2024.[20] [21]
Swords represented Canada at the 2022 FIBA Under-17 Women's Basketball World Cup where she averaged 4.7 points, 4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game, as Canada lost to France 82–84 in the bronze medal game.[22] [23]
She represented Canada at the 2023 FIBA Under-19 Women's Basketball World Cup where she averaged 15.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game and won a bronze medal. During the bronze-medal game, she played a game-leading 42:23 minutes, and posted 26 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals.[24] Following the tournament she was named to the FIBA U19 World Cup All-Second Team.[25]
She made her senior national team debut for Canada at the 2023 FIBA Women's AmeriCup where she averaged 3.9 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game and won a bronze medal. She was the youngest member of the Canadian AmeriCup team.[26]
She represented Canada at the 2024 FIBA Women's Americas Pre-Qualifying Olympic Qualifying Tournament.[27] After going undefeated during the tournament, Canada qualified for the 2024 FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournaments.[28] On July 2, 2024, she was named to team Canada's roster for the 2024 Summer Olympics. At 18 years old, she will become the youngest-ever basketball player to represent Canada at the Olympics.[29] [30]
Syla is the daughter of Shawn Swords and Shelley Dewar. Her father, Shawn, is a former professional basketball player and was the head coach at Laurentian University from 2007 to 2022. He currently serves as associate head coach for the Long Island Nets of the NBA G League.[31] Her mother, Shelley, played college basketball for the Laurentian Voyageurs women's basketball team, and was the Ontario conference rookie of the year in 1995.[32] Her sister, Savannah, also plays basketball.[33]