Swords Named to Canada AmeriCup Roster
6/25/2025 4:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball
TORONTO, Ontario -- Syla Swords of the University of Michigan women's basketball team will represent Canada and play in the upcoming FIBA AmeriCup, set for June 28-July 6 in Santiago, Chile. It is the second time she will participate in the AmeriCup with Canada, previously winning the silver medal in 2023.
Canada will share Group A with Argentina, Brazil, Dominican Republic and El Salvador, with the top four teams in the group advancing to the quarterfinals. From there, a single-knockout format will follow. The top six teams will earn entry into 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup qualifying tournaments.
Swords has spent the last three years representing Canada, playing in the U17 and U19 World Cups at the junior level and with the senior national team in multiple tournaments, highlighted by the 2024 Olympics. She was the youngest basketball player to ever play for Canada at the Olympics, playing in the 2024 Games in Paris. She appeared in all three games as the youngest player in Paris, averaging 3.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 14.6 minutes per game.
In the summer of 2023, 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.
Swords is coming off a stellar freshman season at Michigan, helping the Wolverines to a 23-11 record and the second round of the NCAA Tournament. She appeared in all but one game, averaging 16.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 32.5 minutes per game. Swords was named to the Big Ten all-freshman team, Big Ten all-tournament team, the All-Big Ten second team and the ESPN all-freshman team. She recorded a pair of double-doubles on the season, highlighted by a 27-point, 12-rebound performance in her collegiate debut against No. 1 South Carolina (Nov. 4).
