Following a strong summer with Minnesota Rise Heiderscheidt, Swanson really stood out to us last month at the PGH Sophomore ID Camp. A quick, defensive-minded guard with a high degree of basketball intelligence, Hadley has gotten significantly stronger, giving her a physical advantage over many players her size. With her sisters Jacey Swanson and Journey Swanson having graduated and gone off to play at Dakota Wesleyan, the St. James sophomore will have plenty of opportunity to use her defensive versatility and stellar three-point shooting to make an impact for the Saints this season. She enters the rankings at #85 in the class.

Swanson has really come into her own entering her sophomore season as she emerges from the shadows of older sisters Jacey and Journey, now at Dakota Wesleyan. Hadley has grown, filled out and gotten stronger while retaining the quickness, intelligence and constant activity that have always made her effective. Swanson is perpetually alert, seemingly ready for whatever happens next. She moves well without the ball, cuts with purpose, keeps her eyes up and distributes the basketball quickly when opportunities appear. Defensively, her quick feet, physicality and awareness allow her to handle a variety of assignments and create chances to score in transition. Swanson also showed a quick, confident shooting stroke Sunday, putting good arc on the ball and letting it fly when she had daylight. She’s becoming an increasingly complete and versatile two-way player.

Swanson impacted the game at both ends of the floor on Sunday, making an impact in a variety of ways. On defense the 5’7 guard/forward took on the challenge of guarding much larger players, such as 6’2 Korbin Tanner Korbin Tanner 6'3" | PF New London-Spicer | 2029 State MN . Hadley held her own, playing physical defense in the post while showing no fear. On the offensive end, her cuts were well-timed, creating plenty of off ball movement. We were also impressed with Hadley’s awareness in late game situations. By keeping her eyes on the clock, the St. James freshman always made sure her team got an open look before the time ran out.