Lauryn Swann didn’t expect any accolades coming off her stellar performance against UNLV.
After sitting the entire first half, she entered the game last Tuesday and just started to do her thing.
That thing was scoring 19 points to spark the Wildcats to a 75-66 victory.
She was named the player of the game and banged the drum afterwards.
Then, the freshman got ready for the next matchup.
At Chicago State on Saturday, she hit double-digit scoring again. This time it was 12 points.
Again, she went about her routine.
On Monday, she was in the training room getting treatment when her coach, Adia Barnes, called her.
Swann wasn’t quite sure what to make of the fact that Barnes was calling her.
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“I was like, ‘Am I in trouble?’†Swann said with a laugh.
Barnes asked Swann if she had checked her emails.
“I was like, ‘No, I don’t have any emails,’ so I really thought I was in trouble,†Swann said.
No need to worry, Barnes was just calling to tell her rookie that she won the Big 12’s freshman of the week honor.
“It’s really cool,†Swann said of getting that accolade.
Swann added that she didn’t even know there were any Big 12 weekly honors this early in the season as it’s not something that Barnes and her staff typically talk about.
Swann’s teammates hope that she keeps that focus on the right things as ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ (5-0) plays NAU (3-1) Wednesday.
Swann, who shot 64.7% from the field and 66.7% from beyond the arc last week, originally injured her left shoulder at UC San Diego. She re-injured it colliding with Jada Williams during the third quarter of the Chicago State game. She left the court, was looked at by UA’s trainer Bart Jameson and returned in the fourth quarter.
She will be sore for a while, but fortunately it wasn’t her shooting arm. Barnes said it mainly affects her sleep, “because when you have a shoulder injury, sometimes it’s hard to sleep and get comfy.â€
“I think she’s more just tired than anything,†Barnes said. “We can help her with that part. … I think it scared her more because she’s had an injured shoulder before.â€
In high school, Swann dislocated her shoulder multiple times and torn her labrum. When she finally returned to the court, it was late in the recruiting cycle. She had gotten offers from smaller schools, but she knew she could play in a Power 4 conference. She waited until later in the cycle to commit, catching the eye of Barnes.
As she and Barnes like to say, she bet on herself.
The work ethic she had in pushing herself in high school to get noticed has been on display at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥. It’s just ingrained in Swann.
When asked if we should continue to expect consistency in her game, Swann said, “Consistency is always the goal.†And that her main goal this season is “to get better every day.â€
Right now, she said she’s working on defense – at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ that is one aspect of the game that the Wildcats work on every day – as well as her decision making.
Barnes said she didn’t expect these types of performances from Swann so quickly – especially not against UNLV as she sat the entire first half.
“I think most freshmen, psychologically would come in already (with) negative thinking,†Barnes said. “She just came in and she did what she always does. I was really proud of how she responded to that. And I think that just gave her more confidence.
“You can see the confidence carry over to Chicago State. She had missed one shot, but then she was on fire. But it was the type of shot she was taking, which told me she’s got a lot of confidence. Because she was looking for a shot and not afraid to take them. That’s a confidence thing as a freshman, but I think that she’s one of our best shooters, and she has consistent footwork, consistent(ly) gets into her shot pocket the same way. She’s got really good fundamentals of her shot.â€
Barnes added that the things they are working on now are not picking up her dribble or understanding passing angles, as well as getting into better basketball shape to play ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ defense.
“I think she’s done a good job of taking accountability and recognizing some of those weak points,†Barnes said. “She’s OK to address them and work on. She has the maturity to do that. A lot of freshmen don’t have that maturity. I think that’s what’s going to make her special.â€