Swider is normally known for his shooting — admittedly, that’s all I’ve really noticed about his game in the past. But in the championship game, he made a name for himself by making hustle plays. He had two offensive put-backs and some other offensive rebounds and loose ball recoveries, and he also always moves the ball well as an extra passer. He also had a clutch drive and finish at the end of the game. If he can consistently do the little things, he’ll be tough to take off the floor at the college level because of his size and shooting ability.

Swider is the younger brother of Cole Swider, who had a wonderful college career and is now trying to make it in the NBA. Connor, like his brother, is a large shooter; he’s 6-foot-9 and an excellent three-point specialist. He moves well without the ball and doesn’t need much space to get his shot off. His release certainly looks interesting, but it goes in, so who cares? Defensively, Swider uses his length and size to be relatively versatile, though some added strength would really help him next year at Youngstown State. I bet he’ll put on some weight.

Swider finalized his college plans with a commitment to Youngstown State University. We’ve covered Swider a lot lately, as his play this summer made him one of the region’s stock risers. He’s a big combo forward that can really shoot the basketball, but has also recently started to show more of a scoring game off the bounce. He’s super long, has a good feel for the game on the offensive end of the floor, and knows how to pick his spots as a scorer. Defensively, he continues to get stronger, allowing him to guard on the perimeter and in the paint. He also does a good job of using his length to his advantage as an on-ball defender, rebounder, and rim protector. Swider is a good early commit for Youngstown State as the long, versatile forward should only continue to get better and could eventually become one of the better floor spacing forwards in the Horizon League.

Swider, who now checks in at 6’9″, was one of the stock rising forwards in New England this summer. A standout with BCRI, Swider is long and lean and has really improved his complete offensive game in recent months. Not only is he now doing more finishing at the rim, but he’s leveraging his shooting to get defenders off balance and to get into his mid-range game. He runs the floor well in transition, has developed a bit of a back down game, and is even crashing the offensive glass with more aggression. Still, his best skill is his ability to stretch the floor and draw opposing bigs out of the paint, while knocking down 3’s at a high clip. Defensively, he’s long enough to be a disruptive defender in passing lanes and has the requisite size to guard in the paint when need. Already on the radar of college coaches throughout New England, he’ll be tracked closely this winter.

Swider’s older brother, Cole, is one of New England’s best talents from recent years. Like his older brother, Conner can absolutely stroke it from three and has great size and length. He hasn’t filled out as much as Cole – and he’s already a senior – but I have to imagine he’ll put on a decent amount of weight in the next year or two, which will monumentally improve his stock.

Rise: +32

Swider, a combo forward, has shined as a perimeter scorer this spring with BCRI. One of New England’s top perimeter shooters, Swider does a great job of moving without the ball and making sure he is shot ready on the catch. He has great size on the wing and impressive length and utilizes both to get his shot off over the defense. His consistency has been impressive this spring and he’s taken his shooting to another level since the high school season ended. He’s a prospect to watch going forward as his game should only continue to improve as he adds strength to his frame.