Xavier’s sophomore forward is glue guy with the potential to be much more.
Dailyn Swain was just coming into his own last season when he was struck down with the most odd injury Xavier suffered all season: appendicitis. Swain was having an excellent freshman campaign when his insides let him down. Xavier has lost players to a variety of things before, but Sean Miller probably wasn’t expecting it to be a dodgy vestigal organ that finally derailed Xavier’s season. It was though, and Swain missed the final five vital games.
What Swain brought that Xavier needed was athleticism. He added a dimension that the team didn’t have without him, namely a bouncy rebounder who could get on the glass on both ends and score efficiently. Swain’s outside shooting was… suspect, but he was very efficient at the line and inside the arc. From the start of 2024 on he was a force, occasionally starting and filling up the stat sheet in a million other ways.
And that is the thing with Dailyn Swain, when his insides are all working (and they seem to be now), he can do just about everything on a basketball court. The one thing he can’t do, make threes, pales in comparison to the things he can do. Last season he was second on the team in block rate, first on the team in steals rate, tops amongst the forwards in offensive rebounding, third on the team in players getting his level of minutes in defensive rebounding, tied for second in free throw shooting, and tops in two point shooting among qualifiers. In short, he did everything.
The goal for Swain is to do all of those things this season, just a little better. So far, he has. His shooting has been better, he’s clearing the defensive glass at an incredible rate, and his assist and steals rates are both up. Therein also lies the rub with Swain. He doesn’t necessarily score a ton or rack up the rebounds. He does almost everything and does it all well. He can get ten rebounds or score double digit points, but he’s just as likely to spend a half grabbing five boards, blocking two shots (one with a tomahawk swing), and picking up a steal. It all counts, but it doesn’t all get the same level of attention.
Phil Martelli, who was excellent on the call last night, pointed out that Swain is an NBA prospect if his defense or shooting makes a jump. That’s the same thing Coach Miller will be hoping for. Such is life when one of your sophomores is as physically blessed as Dailyn Swain: progress makes him a star. Progress might also make him an NBA player.