Indiana Basketball: McSwain” To the Sophomore and Juniors, just keep pushing”
By Eric Brown
After spending the past two seasons at Indiana, Freddie McSwain will leave the Hoosiers with a lasting legacy. His advice for the underclassmen? Just keep pushing.
Despite spending only two years wearing the striped pants and playing for the Indiana Hoosiers, Freddie McSwain has become somewhat of a legend in Bloomington. He has also been a fan favorite in his short amount of time playing for the Hoosiers. After Indiana’s devastating loss to Rutgers in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament, he had some advice for the players who will be around for next season, “to the sophomores and juniors, just keep pushing”, he said.
"I love Indiana and I'm so happy that I came here."
— The Hoosier Network (@TheHoosierNet) March 2, 2018
Freddie McSwain Jr. on how he wants to be remembered at Indiana. #iubb pic.twitter.com/mSWBML0Rro
McSwain spent his first two collegiate seasons at Neosho County Community College where he averaged 14 points and 8 rebounds. His sophomore season he led his team to their first ever JUCO tournament, where he averaged 13 points and 12 rebounds, earning Region VI tournament MVP honors.
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After his tremendous sophomore year, McSwain made the decision to come to Indiana with a chance to play under then head coach Tom Crean. Under Crean, Freddie barely played, only making one start and averaging just 2.7 points and 2.5 rebounds, even though he shot 55.2%.
When Tom Crean was fired, and Archie Miller was brought on to become the new coach of the Hoosiers, things had changed for Indiana. They went from perennial tournament lock, to a team that now had to build up reputations with recruits.
The advice that McSwain leaves for the rest of the Hoosiers will surely leave a lasting impression for those who do come back. Next season is not tournament or bust, but an NCAA appearance must be their main goal in order to bring Indiana back to relevancy.
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Should Indiana somehow land Romeo Langford, the words that McSwain spoke after Indiana’s loss to Rutgers will hold true. They must keep pushing, and with Langford in tow they should push just hard enough to receive an NCAA bid.