Swords Selected to Represent Canada at 2024 Olympics
7/2/2024 10:30:00 AM | Women's Basketball, Olympics
TORONTO, Ontario -- Incoming freshman Syla Swords of the University of Michigan women's basketball team was selected as one of 12 members to represent Canada at the 2024 Olympics on Tuesday (July 2). At 18 years old, she will become the youngest basketball player to ever play for Canada at the Olympic Games and is just the second Olympian in program history.
Swords has spent the last two years representing Canada, playing in the U17 and U19 World Cups at the junior level and with the senior national team in multiple tournaments.
Last summer, she won a pair of bronze medals in a 14-day span, collecting third place at both the FIBA U19 World Cup and as part of the 2023 AmeriCup team. She was the youngest member of the Canadian AmeriCup team, appearing in all eight games. She had a breakout game against Colombia in the group phase, turning in 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting in just 14 minutes of action. At the World Cup, she was named to the All-Tournament second team after averaging 12.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 steals in 29.9 minutes per game. She saved her best performance for last, turning in 26 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals in 42 minutes as Canada beat France in overtime for the bronze medal. She was the only high schooler named to the Canadian Senior Women's National Team roster for the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament, helping Canada qualify for the 2024 Olympics this past February.
Swords was named a McDonald's All-American, to the Jordan Brand Classic Game and played for the World team at the 2024 Nike Hoop Summit. She finished her high school career ranked No. 4 by ESPN, the highest season-ending ranking by a Wolverine in program history. She was named the 2024 Gatorade New York Girls Player of the Year and the New York MaxPreps Player of the Year. During her senior season, she averaged 17.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 3.0 steals per game.
She helped Long Island Lutheran to the Nike Tournament of Champions title in 2022, stuffing the stat sheet with eight points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals in the final game. In her first season at LuHi as a junior, she averaged 14.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game to guide the Crusaders to the 2023 Class AA New York State Federation Tournament of Champions crown. Swords scored 27 points in the championship game and led her team all season long from behind the three-point line, making 66 three-pointers at a 42.3 percent clip. She played AAU for Kia Nurse Elite, which she helped win the 2023 EYBL championship at Boo Williams.
She joins fellow Canadian Krista Phillips as Wolverines to make an Olympic team. Phillips played for Canada at the 2012 Olympics in London.
Canada is in Group B along with France, Nigeria and Australia. Canada will face France on July 29 to begin its Olympic journey.
