Syla Swords isn’t some under-the-radar player or some well-kept secret that only the most hardcore basketball fanatics know about.

The freshman was a 2024 McDonald’s All-American and part of a Michigan class that, on paper, appeared to be a formidable one. It’s early, but 14 games into the season, the young Wolverines have lived up to the hype, claiming a 10-4 record and ranked at No. 24 in the nation.

Swords is a big part of that, but she has been making noise in the basketball world since before she played a minute as a Wolverine. This summer, she competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics, representing Team Canada and becoming the youngest player to play for the country in Olympic basketball. During her three games in Paris, she averaged 3.3 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. Those experiences were a precursor of what her first year at Ann Arbor would look like. She’s been a ferocious wing who plays beyond her 18 years.

An amazing debut

In her first official game, Swords helped Michigan push defending-champion South Carolina to the edge, scoring 27 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the 68-62 loss.

There are no moral victories, but watching a young Swords dominate versus the best collegiate program in the nation certainly took some of the sting out of the loss and had everyone, including her head coach Kim Barnes Arico, marveling at her play, saying:

Golly, I’m happy that she’s in our program. She’s just a competitor. I’ve never seen anything like it. She’s relentless, she has a motor, she just made things happen. She never stopped working. She has a nose for basketball. That’s a heck of a freshman debut, for sure. I think the greatest thing about her is she’s so humble; she’s a wonderful teammate. It wasn’t like every single thing was run for her she made a lot of those plays happen by her effort and her hustle and she’s just awesome.

Playing another No. 1 team

As 2025 begins, Swords has only gotten better. She returned from a lower leg injury in time for a New Year’s Day matchup against No. 1-ranked UCLA.

Swords played in 39 of a possible 40 minutes and kept the Wolverines in the game. With the Bruins having elite bigs like Lauren Betts, scoring inside is challenging, but Swords didn’t shy away from penetrating the paint.

She scored a whopping 30 points and did it from all three levels, hitting four 3-pointers, scoring from inside and a draining handful of mid-range shots for good measure. The loss reminds us that the Wolverines are still a step away from contention, but with Swords arriving, they are already a threat and a team to watch out for during tournament time.

Work to do

Swords is a tremendous freshman, but no player is perfect. Moving forward, she needs to continue to improve as a defender. As a wing, she’ll have to deal with a lot of size and speed on the perimeter as she continues getting acclimated to the ever-changing Big Ten. Once that improves a bit more, she’ll be even more of a headache for opposing teams.

Her 3-point shooting is currently at 34 percent, which is respectable, but if she can get that to the high 30s, or even above 40 percent, that will send Swords into another stratosphere. This recent UCLA matchup shows she can get up the shots and make enough to be taken seriously from deep, but if she can be a bit more efficient, it’ll make her high volume of attempts that much more problematic for her opponents.

Lastly, Swords becoming stronger and more physical is another part of her development that will undoubtedly come with time. Right now, she can use her speed and craftiness to finesse her way inside and attack. She may never be a big bruising player, but it’ll elevate her play if she can finish through contact more consistently.

Closing thoughts

Swords is already an electrifying player, causing trouble for even the best teams in the nation. She is so much more polished at her age than most players, and while it’s exciting to think about where she will be in a year or two, she’s already going to be a problem for anyone who has to defend her in 2025.

With Swords in the game, beating Michigan will not be easy, and when she gets hot, she is one of the rare players who is individually talented enough to beat a team that is clearly better than the one she plays for.

So, while USC and UCLA gain most of the attention in the Big Ten, Swords and Michigan will have something to say about who wins the conference, not only in 2025 but also in the years to come. Consider this a warning.

It’s officially 2025, and on New Year’s Day, Big Ten basketball resumed, with No. 4 USC taking on Nebraska and No. 1 UCLA facing No. 24 Michigan.

Both games ended with comfortable double-digit wins for the California teams, reminding us that defeating either of these schools will be an uphill battle for conference opponents.

JuJu Watkins shines in USC win

A 75-55 final score suggests that USC cruised to victory throughout, but that was not the case. Nebraska was right there with USC throughout the first half and the early parts of the third quarter.

However, USC went on an 8-2 run in the third frame to extend its lead from three points to nine. The Trojans then went on to win the quarter 20-11, effectively eliminating the pesky Cornhuskers for good. USC got the production they needed from their core players. Watkins scored a game-high 26 points, along with four assists and three rebounds. Kiki Iriafen stepped up as well, scoring 14 points, grabbing six rebounds and dishing out three assists.

Nebraska struggled to score, especially in the second half, but had two players in double figures with Britt Prince and Logan Nissley. They combined for nearly half of the Cornhuskers’ total points, with 24 of the team’s 55 points.

UCLA remains the team to beat in the country

It’s a new year, but the Bruins remain the team to beat—not just in the Big Ten but the nation. They have a balanced attack, an elite inside-out game and are now undefeated at 14-0.

In their 86-70 victory over the Wolverines, the Bruins had five players in double figures, with Kiki Rice leading the charge with 16. Lauren Betts dominated from inside with 13 points and 10 rebounds, and the UCLA reserves outscored Michigan’s bench 27-4.

For the Wolverines, it was an uphill battle most of the night. They had a competitive opening quarter, but the game quickly got out of hand once the Bruins got comfortable in the second. UCLA went on a 7-0 run to end the first half and led 40-29 at the break. Betts and Rice kept pouring on points in the third, and Michigan never seriously threatened to come back.

Syla Swords made a valiant effort on Michigan’s behalf during the loss. She scored a game-high 30 points and played in 39 of the possible 40 minutes.

UCLA faces Indiana in Bloomington on Saturday (12 p.m. ET, FOX). Off until Wednesday, Michigan’s schedule won’t get easier, as the Wolverines will play No. 10 Ohio State at home (7 p.m. ET). USC heads to New Jersey to play Rutgers on Sunday night (8 p.m. ET, BTN), while Nebraska hosts Penn State on Sunday afternoon (3 p.m. ET, BIG+) .

Sierra Moore has played professional basketball on four continents, in countries as various as Argentina, Luxembourg and Saudi Arabia. She’s currently playing for Polonia Warsaw in Poland.

She spoke to Swish Appeal about her far-flung basketball experiences, beginning with AAU ball and her time as a collegian at Duke (2012-13) and Penn State (2014-16). She also shared some of her other passions, including mentoring younger players and cooking chili. Highlight from our chat include:

On her first experience as a pro, in Argentina:

I didn’t know where you could buy a SIM card to put in your phone, so you could speak to to your family and your friends when you’re just walking around. You had to be at your place with wi-fi and that was the only time you could speak to them. And you would wait all day until you got home. It was a big adjustment because you’re on your own. And when I was there, nobody spoke English. I knew Spanish, I wasn’t bilingual at the time, but I knew a little bit of Spanish. It was okay, but [they don’t speak] the Spanish that I was taught. It’s also hard when you’re around people that don’t speak the same language as you the whole entire day and the only language that you guys share in common is the language of basketball. And that’s all you’re focusing on, and sometimes you just need a mental break. I didn’t expect the housing and the facilities to be like when I was in college, but it got really hard for me and I had to tell my agent that I needed to leave when I was one week without water. And then I was one week without electricity. I realized that my well-being is more important than me just playing the game I love.

On averaging 42 points and 21 rebounds per game in Saudi Arabia:

It wasn’t like they had a full season because I think now it’s their seventh year of women being able to play sports. It was only there their fifth year when I went there. And it was a great opportunity for me because I was playing with women and girls that haven’t had that much time to play basketball ‘cause they never were allowed. And it gives you a whole different perspective, like, “Wow, they really appreciate this opportunity.” And their willingness to learn was so high. They were always listening to what I had to say, because I have been able to play since I started when I was four [years old] at the YMCA and…they only got to start when they were 25 [years old] because they weren’t allowed to until then. They were just starting out, so of course I’m gonna have a crazy stat line because everybody else is just learning. But I was so happy for them because even though we came in second place, you would have thought we won the world championship.

A special thank you to Thomas Prodromou of Flash Agency for arranging the interview.