“It’s good to have those moments of fun to remind me that I can still be a kid.”

Returning home for a brief visit before making her way to Ann Arbour, her Michigan Wolverines team hosting some informal workouts, Syla Swords had enjoyed another basketball session at the Ben Avery Gym.

With sisters Delaney and Bree Bourget on hand along with a host of other familiar faces, Swords was swept back to the days of her youth, the time when she was an ever-so-frequent visitor at the gymnasium where her father (Shawn) cut his teeth in the world of coaching at the helm of the Laurentian Voyageurs.

“It’s nice to be around people like the Bourgets and reminded of where I came from and who I was before everything happened,” said Swords.

Before everything happened indeed.

Before the eldest of the two daughters of Shawn and Shelley Swords made history by becoming the youngest female ever to compete for Team Canada Basketball at the Olympics when she suited up in three games in Paris last summer, earning herself nearly 45 minutes of playing time, registering ten points and not looking the least bit out of place at the age of eighteen.

Before the now 19 year-old followed that up by earning Freshman All-American status at the University of Michigan, starting in 33 of her team’s 34 games en route to a March Madness appearance, finishing second in team scoring with 16 points per game.

Yes – a lot has happened in the past twelve months.

And a lot will still happen in the years to come. That’s pretty much a given.

“I have big goals for myself and yes, I want to be successful,” said Swords. “But it’s never at the cost of the team. Even just being here, playing with the Laurentian girls, I learn so much from them. We’re all just basketball players; that’s a quality my parents instilled in me.”

That sense of family is prevalent throughout our conversation.

It permeates heavily when the discussion turns to the adjustment encountered during her rookie season of NCAA competition. “It was really hard moving away from my family because we are so close,” she said. “We made the move to New York (from Sudbury) because we wanted to stay together as a family.”

“Finding out who I am away from them was something I had not experienced before. Their presence in my daily life, that was something I missed – but phone calls helped me a lot.”

And, like so many newcomers to the post-secondary scene, so too did the new family Swords would suddenly embrace. “Something that is really unique about our (Michigan) team was losing only one player to the transfer portal this year,” noted Swords. “Three of the eight leading teams lost almost half of their roster. People are moving everywhere.”

“For us, it’s special having five freshmen, including three starters, and keeping all of those athletes together. We have such a strong base to grow on. We went through a year of ups and downs, had our share of tough losses and still decided that this is where we all want to be.”

“It makes me really optimistic about what is to come.”

Prior to year two at Michigan, Swords will add another layer to her international portfolio, a shoo-in to compete at the 2025 FIBA Under-19 Women’s Basketball World Cup in July in the Czech Republic, most likely with younger sister Savannah at her side.

By that time, the 17 year-old sibling may have announced her NCAA commitment, her top-five list comprised of Kentucky, Michigan, Notre Dame, South Carolina and UCLA.

Naturally, Syla has thoughts on that list.

“I would love to have her play with me in Michigan,” said elder sister. “She’s my favourite person I have ever played with. I grew up playing with her and I know exactly where she is going to be on the court. But I am also playing the role of big sister. I know it’s her decision and I want her to make her path.”

“I’m going to love her no matter what jersey she puts on. I’m her biggest competitor and her biggest supporter. We say that all the time.

Given the whirlwind of 2024-2025, Syla Swords is handling both the notoriety and the attention remarkably well. And when she needs a reminder, she looks no further than home.

“Sudbury is always going to be home for me,” she said. “It’s where I grew up, it’s where my family is, and it’s where my friends are.”

“I will always be proud to call Sudbury my home.”