Duquesne Basketball
Dylan Swingle Signs Letter of Intent to Play for Dambrot, Dukes
The first member of Duquesne’s 2018 recruiting class made it official Wednesday morning.
Ohio native Dylan Swingle signed his National Letter of Intent at a small ceremony in front of his high school coaches, teammates, friends, and family. Wednesday was the first day of the early signing period for college basketball.
Courtesy of Dylan Swingle
The 6-foot-11, 300-pound forward was the first recruit in the 2018 class to verbally commit to Keith Dambrot back in May. A three-star recruit according to 247Sports, Swingle ranks among the top players in the state of Ohio. He chose the Dukes over Akron, George Washington and West Virginia.
“It’s a huge relief,” Swingle said of officially signing his letter of intent. “It was a huge relief when I committed, and it’s even bigger relief now to know it’s official, so I can worry about the rest of my senior year.”
Swingle signed shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday morning, and said, “It was great to have so much support from a ton of people.”
Swingle said he had not had a chance to talk with Dambrot since signing but did receive a text message from assistant coach, Rick McFadden, congratulating him on the moment.
Courtesy of Dylan Swingle
The Paint Valley senior said his relationship with Dambrot and the coach’s ability develop low-post players was the ultimate reason he choose Duquesne.
“I’m looking forward to playing for Coach Dambrot,” Swingle said. “I love his coaching style, and I love how he plays around his bigs.”
As a junior, Swingle averaged 22 points and 13 rebounds, and he has a chance to become Scioto County’s all-time leading scorer.
Swingle’s high school coach, Dave Shoemaker, had this to say about the big man when he verbally committed to Duquesne:
“I’ve coached for 33 years and I’ve never had a big man with a soft shooting touch like Dylan’s. He can shoot with both hands and has range beyond the 3-point line. He has great hands and feet, and at 6-11, 305 he is both agile and strong. The kid’s upside is limitless. In addition, Duquesne is getting a player of high moral character and amazing work ethic.”
Swingle said he must work on his conditioning and refining his post-game before arriving on campus. While he continues to improve his game, Swingle has set his eyes on leading Paint Valley to the team’s first league title in 25 years.
“I think we have a big year ahead,” Swingle said of high school team. “This is the best chance we’ve had to win the league, and this year being the 25th anniversary has us pumped up. I think we can win the league this year.”
