WEONESDAy, DECEMBER 6,2017 PAGE 14
SWOOPE’S
SCORCHING
Junior guard leads Eion
scorers through the first
nine games
Erik Webb
Sports Director | @ErikWel)bElon
He doesn’t have to be tall to make
a big impact. In fact, he’s the shortest
starter on the Elon University men’s
basketball team, but when Dain-
an Swoope steps onto the court, he
makes his presence known.
The 6-foot, 185-pound junior
guard has had a stellar start to the
2017-2018 season. Through the first
nine games of the season, Swoope is
averaging 17.1 points per game, which
is ninth in the Colonial Athletic Asso
ciation. The next closest Phoenix is
redshirt senior forward Brian Daw
kins, who averages 13.4 points per
game and is 18th on the list.
“I guess I would describe my game
as kind of being a leader on the offen
sive and defensive side — trying to get
us into our offensive flow,” Swoope
said. “Just kind of doing the little
things that will get our team a win.”
Offense has not been a problem
for Swoope this season. From Nov.
17-22, he had four straight games
where he scored more than 20 points.
This included 26 in the triple-over
time win against Florida Internation
al University on Nov. 17, 25 during
the Phoenix’s win against Concordia
University, St. Paul the day after, 20
in the loss to the University of Wis
consin - Milwaukee Nov. 19th and
24 points at home against Radford
University on Nov. 22.
During those games, Swoope aver
aged 23.8 points per game, something
he credits to his mindset on the court.
“It’s the same mindset I have to
day,” he said. “Playing aggressive and
shots were just going in and that’s
what kind of just fueled me up for the
next game.”
Swoope said seeing the ball go in
the hoop was a confidence boost
er for him — both on the offensive
and defensive side. But Swoope also
was selfless when talking about his
high-scoring nights.
“That just builds yourself up,”
he added. “My teammates did a
really good job of running our of
fense, staying with it and nobody
was playing selfish. We were giv
ing each other great looks and that
was just a fun stretch to play in —
getting those wins, too.”
The team chemistry is noticeable
on the court. Elon returns all five
starters and top scorers from last sea
son. Swoope said having the veteran
players around him makes it easy to
feed off the energy from one another.
“Everybody is just really close
— we’re all brothers,” Swoope said.
“We hang out after practice, before
practice, we’re with each other all
the time. I just think that having
that off the court just makes it even
more fun being on the court to play
with each other and have the suc
cess that we’re having.”
Through the first nine games of
the season, Swoope is connecting
on just about the same percentage
of shots from inside and outside the
arc. He is shooting 40.5 percent from
inside the arc and 39.4 percent from
downtown, an improvement over last
year’s 40.5 percent and 36.1 percent,
respectively. He attributes his higher
numbers to the work he put in during
the offseason.
“I think a really big thing was
working out with assistant coach
Chris Long,” Swoope said. “I was here
both terms this summer and took
some summer classes. But we worked
out every single day. That’s what I feel
like helped turn me into more of a
point guard.”
That summer work helped Swoope
find a new mentality when he’s passed
the ball.
“Last year I was kind of just out
there doing whatever I could. Now I
feel a lot better in our system, I feel a
lot better having the ball in my hands
— more than I ever have in my life.”
Not only is Swoope the top scor
er for the Phoenix squad, but he also
leads the team in the number of per
sonal fouls with 24.
“Sometimes you’re in a tough posi
tion to be in defensively and either I’m
behind or they’re too early and it ends
up being a foul,” Swoope said. “I don’t
really think that’s going to be a prob
lem going forward because that’s just
the game of basketball ... I think I’m
going to keep maturing and growing
on the court and avoid fouls.”
Recent success
As of now, the Elon team is
6-3. Since last week, the Phoenix
played two games, both of which
went to overtime with Elon com
ing out victorious,
“1 definitely prefer not to play in
overtime games, especially back-to-
back games,” Swoope said. “It’s a lot of
SWOOPE BY THE NUMBERS
Percentage of shots that Swoope has
made from inside the arc
Percentage of shots Swoope has
made from long distance
24
Personal fouls this season - the
most of anyone on the team
17.1
Points per game, on average
minutes on all of our bodies — kind of
wears us down.”
No matter how much he says he
doesnt enjoy it, Swoope comes up
clutch the extra minutes. In the dou
ble-overtime victory against Saint
Peter’s University Dec. 2, Swoope
knocked down a three while being
fouled, completed the four-point play
and helped the Phoenix pull away
from the Peacocks in the second add
ed five-minute overtime periods.
Swoope also played a big role in
Elon’s win against the University of
South Florida on Nov, 30. He was
tasked with guarding one of USF’s
top scorers, graduate student guard
Stephan Jiggetts, who averages 12.1
points per game.
“Jiggetts was kicking my butt,”
Swoope said,.“He was scoring at will
on me and I kind of took that person
ally and I didn’t want to allow that to
keep going throughout the whole en
tire game.”
“I love Dainan’s toughness,” said
head coach Matt Matheny,
After talking about taking Swoope
off Jiggetts at halftime, Matheny said
Swoope didn’t like that,
“It really irked Dainan .,. and that’s
what I love about him,” Matheny said.
“I don’t want to be that type of per
son that just backs off a challenge,”
Swoope said about wanting to contin
ue to defend Jiggetts.
In the end, the decision to keep the
matchup as it was proved to be crucial
for the Phoenix. Swoope blocked the
final shot by Jiggetts that would have
sent the game into double overtime.
Instead, Elon came out on top. Jiggetts
finished the night with 21 points.
“[The game] comes down to
[Dainan] defending [Jiggetts] on
the final play — I didn’t have a great
view of what happened, but I know
that Dainan is tough”- Matheny
said. “I started to say pride, but it’s
more toughness. He’s a warrior, and
a warrior doesn’t like to be taken
out of the battle.”
The future
For the Overland Park. Kansas, na-
tive. Swoope said there is no personal
statistics line he would like to see at
the end of the season. He just wants
the team to do weU - and to do one '
thing in particular.
“I want to make the NCAA tour
nament — that’s been a dream of
mine since I was a kid,” Swoope said.
Its just about us making everybody’s
dream. We all have the same goal,
same dream. We want to do that as a
team and I think that it’s going to be
really possible.”
The Phoenix will play its next
game on Thursday. Dec. 7 when it
makes the short trip to Greensboro to
face the University of North Carolina
at Greensboro, the first of a four-game
span of away games.
■ ALEC MANDELL'l STAFF PHOTOGRAMR
Top: Junior pard Dainan Swoope
leads an offensive possession
against the University of Central
Florida Nov. 30.
Bottom: Swoope waits as the
other starters on the team are
introduced on Nov. 30.
u
HE’S A WARRIOR, AND
A WARRIOR DOESNT
LIKE TO BE TAKEN OUT
OF THE BATTLE.
MAH MATHENY
MEN'S BASKETBALL HEAD-
COACH