Prospect Spotlight: Mathani Paul-Swinson (2023)

Playing varsity basketball at the high school level is no small task. When you consider the level of play in the MIAA A Conference, that task becomes even larger, which is why it is always impressive to see freshman who are successful their first year lacing up in a high school uniform. For McDonogh point guard Mathani Paul-Swinson, his freshman season will be an enormous leaning experience as he fills an important role for the Eagles.

Paul-Swinson started in the Eagles' season opener against Friends' last night and it is likely his name will be included in the starting lineup for the majority of games. The 5-foot-9 guard took the first half to get the jitters out of his system, but began making his impact in the second half by creating turnovers on the defensive end and scoring or finding open teammates in transition.

"The first half I was just trying to get comfortable playing at the varsity level," Paul-Swinson continued, "but in the second half I opened up and started shooting more and got comfortable. I feel like I played well today and my teammates played well."

The reason Paul-Swinson fills such a vital role for the Eagles isn't just because he is the point guard, it's the ripple effect it makes throughout the lineup. 2022 guard Everett Cooper was in Paul-Swinson's shoes last season as the freshman point guard. With McDonogh losing David Brown III to Bishop McNamara, someone else would have to step up and replace his scoring. Cooper has the ability to be that player and inserting Paul-Swinson into the lineup allows head coach T.J. Jordan to slide Cooper off the ball and run sets for him as a primary scorer.

One of Paul-Swinson's focuses this summer was to improve on his jumpshot. He told Prep Hoops that he spent countless hours in the gym getting up a ton of shots throughout his workouts. He won't be expected to be a huge threat from deep, but his aggression and ability to get out quickly in transition will bring much value to the team.

"Coach Jordan just wants me to make good decisions with the ball," Paul-Swinson said as he reflected on his role for the team. "Don't do too much and to just play my game."

We saw Cooper go through some rough patches throughout last season as a freshman point guard, but overall he flourished and will take a big step in his development this season. Expect Paul-Swinson to experience some lows, but have a similar path to being an impact player for McDonogh during the 2019-20 season.