On Nov. 27, Austin Swartz watched from the bench as the Creighton men’s basketball beat Oregon in the team’s final game at the Players Era Men’s Championship in Las Vegas. It was the first — and to this point, only — DNP the sophomore transfer from Miami has logged since joining the Bluejays.
A month later, Swartz is a starter and one of the team’s go-to offensive options. He’s been a big part of Creighton’s turnaround, and his versatility as a scorer is the primary reason.
After a good offseason on the practice floor, the 6-foot-4 guard struggled to find his footing early once the games began to count. He made just three shots and scored just eight points across his first six games. Of course, limited playing court time played a part in his lack of production as he failed to hit the 20-minute mark in any of those games. However, he also shot 2-for-12 from deep leading up to the DNP.
Freshman Hudson Greer gave the Bluejays a big spark in Vegas after burning his redshirt, adding another body to an already crowded rotation. However, a foot injury sidelined him once again after Creighton returned to Omaha. That opened the door for Swartz to crack the rotation again, and he made the most of the opportunity.
Swartz scored 11 points in 13 minutes in his return to the rotation against Nicholls, then followed that with 16 against Nebraska. He entered the starting lineup the following game against Kansas State and hit four 3s, and in his second start he exploded for 27 points at Xavier, a new program record for a Big East debut.
Swartz has played 20-plus minutes in five straight games heading into the Butler game on Tuesday, and he’s averaged 16.6 points on 48.5% from the field, including 43.2% from 3, in 24.2 minutes per game during that span.
“I’ve been watching some film and talking to some of the coaches and stuff like that, and I’m just being aggressive and find my spots to where I can put my fingerprints on the floor,” Swartz said. “My best capability is shooting and scoring basketball ball, but playing defense, being in the gaps and all that stuff is also just as important, and that’s what’s helped me kind of stay on the floor as well … It starts in practice.”
First and foremost, Swartz has been deadly as a spot-up shooter.
Swartz does a good job of setting his feet on the catch and he has a quick release with smooth mechanics. He’s also comfortable letting it fly from well beyond the college line, which puts an incredible amount of stress on a defense.
Swartz isn’t just a spot-up shooter, however. He’s also able to knock down 3s off the bounce.
He’s put in the work to master the pump fake to induce a fly-by closeout before taking one side dribble to reset himself and get the shot off on balance, which makes him that much harder to run off the line. He bailed Creighton out with 3s at the shot clock buzzer twice against Utah Tech, and the second one — the final clip above — he had to create all on his own.
Swartz’s ability to hit 3s off movement as well makes him all the more dangerous. Creighton can run him off screens and hand-offs, and if the defender is late to get over or through he’s capable of taking advantage.
While just over 70% of his shot attempts have come from beyond the arc, Swartz has shown the ability to score at all three levels. He finishes at the rim in transition at a high clip, he has good touch on his floater and he’s capable of knocking down shots from the mid-range both off the catch and off the dribble.
All of Swartz’s layups during this stretch have come in transition. The closest he’s gotten to the rim has been a short floater, and he has yet to attempt a free throw as a Bluejay. As he continues to polish his handle and become more comfortable with the opportunities Creighton’s offense can provide, he can evolve into a true all-around scoring threat capable of punishing defenses from anywhere on the floor.
“He plays with no fear, which you have to have,” Coach Greg McDermott said. “He’s shot it at a high clip in practice, and he’s carried that over to games, and now we got to take the next step and have him make some decisions for other guys, because I think he’s really capable of that. He’s shown that in practice. He’s got to continue to grow in that area, then grow defensively in terms of his ability to be able to follow a plan. He’s gotten better at that, but there’s still some room for growth. But without question, he’s played some great basketball.”
A month ago, Swartz was watching the action from the bench. Now, he looks like a potential cornerstone piece for this program the rest of the season and beyond. So long as he continues to buy in to what the coaches are preaching and make strides on defense, he shouldn’t be a healthy scratch again any time soon.
