Recruiting Report: Austin Schwerdt (2016)
Class of 2016 small forward Austin Schwerdt of Fort Zumwalt North may be slight of build, but he made a heavy impact on the Panthers season. The talented 6’6″ swingman has been the target of several Division III schools in…
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Continue ReadingClass of 2016 small forward Austin Schwerdt of Fort Zumwalt North may be slight of build, but he made a heavy impact on the Panthers season.
The talented 6’6″ swingman has been the target of several Division III schools in the region. Fontbonne, Blackburn and Illinois College have shown a lot of interest in Schwerdt.
With the graduations of career leading scorers Chaz Glotta (2014) and Zach Glotta (2015), someone had to step into the leadership role and it turned out to be Schwerdt and his versatile skill set.
Schwerdt took an unheralded Fort Zumwalt North team and led it to a Class 5 district championship. He had 21 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals in the Panthers 54-45 upset victory over No. 1 seed Francis Howell.
“There really isn’t any way to describe what it’s like to win the district,” Schwerdt said. “We lost in the district championship in my sophomore and junior years, and I just told myself that I wasn’t losing another one. I think it’s even better because so many people were doubting us. Proving so many people wrong just made it so much better.”
As a senior, Schwerdt averaged 16 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 52 percent from the field and blocking 41 shots. Without the major presence of the Glotta brothers in the program for the first time in five seasons, Schwerdt moved to the forefront and flourished in the new role.
“I had always been a complimentary player and never been the go-to guy,” he said. “So when this season rolled around and I had to step up, it was definitely different from being just another player on the court. But I loved being the guy that we had to go to. Now, I got to make the big plays.”
At 6’6″, Schwerdt got a chance to make plays from several different places on the court. He could shoot the ball from 3-point range and he handled the ball well enough to be a facilitator of the offense.
“I think being a 6’6″ guard was definitely advantageous,” Schwerdt said. “It’s easier to get shots off on smaller guards, and when teams had to focus more on me, it made it easier for other guys to make plays.”