By Ethan Moore, Sports Editor.
Jon Swift, an 18-year-old computer science major at Delta, feels like he’s been given a second chance here.
“This is my opportunity to get better grades than I did in high school,” says Swift. “That’s what I’m really focused on off the court.”
Swift is a graduate of Salem High School in Canton, Mich. He started playing basketball at the age of four, because of what he saw around him growing up.
“I was really attracted to the sport,” explains Swift. “My dad played, my sister played, so I was pretty much bound to play it at some point.”
In his senior year of high school, Swift earned many honors on the court including: all-conference, all-metro, and all-area team distinctions. Now he’s the starting point guard for the Pioneers and he’s proud of what he’s accomplished.
“It’s been a long journey,” says Swift. “[The season] started out with me not playing at all to me starting now. It’s been a lot of work.”
Since being placed into the starting role, Swift has excelled. He’s shooting 35 percent from three point range, and he’s leading the team in free throws per game. Some of the things that Swift brings to the team are intangibles that can’t be measured by stats.
“I don’t want to come out and say I’m a great leader,” says Swift. “But as of right now the team looks to me for leadership, and I relish that.”
Many basketball players when asked about their greatest achievement talk about an all-star team they made or an award they won, Swift is just happy to have the opportunities he does.
“My greatest basketball accomplishment has to be me just playing college basketball,” explains Swift. “It took a lot of hard work and a lot of time to get to where I am now. This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Off the court, Swift is like any other college student. He likes to sleep and play video games. He’s not shy about how good he is at them.
“I love playing Call of Duty whenever I get any free time.” says Swift. “I might be the best in Bay City, I just want to throw that out there.”
As of right now, Swift plans to stay at Delta for his sophomore season, from there he’ll see what the future holds for his basketball career.
“After Delta, I’m hoping to receive a division II scholarship, maybe even division I scholarship,” says Swift. “With some hard work and help from my coaches I believe that I can reach the next level.”