by Ryan Rogers
LSUsports.net
When Stromile Swift chose LSU out of countless schools beating his door down, Tiger fans envisioned an athletic forward who could take the ball strong to the basket, rebound and step back and knock down a perimeter shot. A complete player, in other words.
LSU fans have gotten a glimpse of that in a big way thus far in 1999. Swift has begun to come into his own, opening the season with a 22-point effort in just 15 minutes against Grambling before stealing the show at the Hawaii Thanksgiving Tournament, scoring 73 points over three games, helping the Tigers to a tournament victory and earning MVP honors in the process.
The Shreveport native opened the Hawaii Tournament with a 21-point effort on 10 of 12 shooting against Oakland (Mich.). He then followed that with a career-high 33 points against Wyoming and 19 in the title-game victory over Fresno State.
A terrifying thought for future opposition, however, Swift says fans haven’t seen anything yet.
“I have a lot more than I showed in that tournament,” said Swift. “I’m not satisfied yet, I know I can get better.”
It’s hard to imagine Swift playing any better. If he does continue to improve from on his numbers, look for Swift to be a candidate for first team All-SEC.
It hasn’t been an easy road for Swift. Coming out of Fair Park High School he was one of the most highly touted prospects in the nation. After thrilling Tiger fans with his decision to attend LSU, however, he didn’t qualify academically and had to sit out his first semester.
“It was really hard to watch my teammates play and not be able to play myself,” said Swift. Early last January, he was cleared to play by the NCAA and joined the Tigers immediately rather than sit out the remainder of the season.
After only practicing twice, he was thrown into the fire against a top notch Auburn team. He performed admirably under the circumstances. The final months of the 1998-99 season were a sobering stretch for Swift and an indicator of how hard he would have to work to elevate his game at the collegiate level.
“I worked really hard in the off-season to get stronger and be better fundamentally.” Swift gained 20 pounds while increasing his bench press. He is also a better defender in the post and a better rebounder than a year ago.
Combined with center Jabari Smith, the two form one of the best frontcourts in America. After the two torched Fresno State for a combined 45 points, Bulldog head coach Jerry Tarkanian ranked the two among the best tandems in the nation.
“We have learned each other and we help each other play well”, said Swift. The two open each other up and don’t allow a double team to cause a problem. Teams will have to be very cautious in double-teaming the Tigers because if Swift gets doubled than Smith will step up and have a huge game.
Though early in the season, it appears that Swift is becoming the player that scouts and coaches always said he would be. Brady is pleased with his development and looks for him to get even better. The scary part is that he is only going to get better.