Villanova Basketball 2019-2020 Player Preview: Cole Swider

VUHoops continues our coverage of Villanova Basketball’s 100th Season by previewing the entire Wildcat roster. Be sure to check out all of our coverage including Ten Top 10’s, event coverage, and schedule previews. Check back over the coming weeks as we begin the celebration of 100 years of Villanova Basketball!

Cole Swider, Sophomore

Hometown: Portsmouth, R.I.

High School: St. Andrews

Height: 6-9

Weight: 219 lbs

Career Stats

Player Preview:

The curse of the broken hand followed Villanova into last season when the injury bug struck Cole Swider in January. Swider was unable to find his groove with his season interrupted by the broken bone in his shooting hand that caused him to miss 12 games. He’ll look to put all that behind him as Villanova tips off its 100^th season.

Swider showed the Nova Nation flashes of why he was ranked the 44^th best recruit in the country by 247Sports just a year ago, averaging 3.5 points per game. The forward’s best games featured a season high 11 points against Canisius in Disney as well as 10 points in his return to Rhode Island against Providence.

The Portsmouth native should see his time on the floor grow from the 9.6 minutes he averaged as a freshman due to the departures of Eric Paschall, Phil Booth and Joe Cremo. Swider will look to play a part in filling the shoes of those who came before him by contributing from deep.

The sophomore came into Villanova with a reputation for the three ball, but struggled to the tune of 28% from beyond the arch. With a year under his belt to acclimate to the speed of the college game, expect Swider to show off his range this season.

One of the biggest question marks for Swider entering the season is on the defensive side of the ball. Nova’s number 10 had a tough time on the perimeter last season sticking with his assignment. With Jay Wright’s emphasis on defensive stability, Swider will need to have a better showing protecting his own basket.

Best Case Scenario

Swider helps to pick up the scoring lost with the departures of Booth and Paschall by developing into a true deep threat. He establishes himself as a key part of the offense and has plays drawn up to take advantage of his range. The sophomore develops into a serviceable defender and is one of the first players off the bench.

Worst Case Scenario

Swider struggles again early and is unable to gain the form that he flashed at times last year. His defense proves to be a hindrance and his minutes end up being limited.

The Wisdom of the Crowds

We are pleased to bring back our Wisdom of Crowds experiment for the 2019-20 season. In this series, we ask that you consider the points covered in our player preview to supplement your own personal insights and instincts to predict the points per game each scholarship player on the roster we score in the upcoming season.