There is so much quality basketball throughout North Carolina that players can easily get overlooked by the masses—even in major cities. Although he’s been talked about earlier this season, it’s unclear if enough people truly realize what Karsten Swinney is doing on a nightly basis for Freedom Christian. His averages of 29.1 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 6.9 APG, and 2.8 SPG basically speak for themselves. Currently fifth in scoring and eleventh in assists (per MaxPreps), it’s difficult to say anything other than positives about what he’s doing for the Patriots. Swinney’s production is truly insane to consider.
Taking it a step further: competition matters. Well, they have certainly played a variety of notable opponents. Let’s look at how he performed against some of the best. Between Caldwell Academy (34), Fayetteville Academy (25), Grace Christian (46), Word of God (26), Berean Baptist (32), Northwood Temple (30), Trinity Christian (22), and Harrell’s Christian (20), Swinney has stepped up whenever the lights are on. He has notched the 40-point mark twice and the 30-point mark on nine separate occasions. Swinney also has three double-digit assist performances, which also resulted in double-doubles.
While the individual numbers are enough to warrant attention from fans, players, and college coaches, the team’s success speaks volumes about Swinney’s overall value. The Patriots are currently 11-8 as they enter the final stretch of the season. Although they have several challenging opponents coming up, this group has proven themselves capable of competing every night. Regarding Swinney, he’s someone that college coaches should be pursuing with more haste. While he is a very talented scorer, he also doubles as a really talented basketball player who often scores out of necessity for the betterment of his team. Swinney defends, creates for others, and shines as a general leader for this group. Expect him to continue to put up insane production as he prepares for postseason play.