Late-bloomer Lauryn Swann works for early opportunities with Arizona women’s basketball

Incoming freshman guard Lauryn Swann was the first Arizona newcomer to arrive on campus this summer. The New York native was in Tucson by May 30 trying to acclimate herself to the changes and prepare for summer workouts.

“I wanted to adjust to the time change,” Swann said. “And my family wanted to take a little vacation.”

Being early wasn’t always in the cards for Swann. She did not commit until late in the recruiting cycle, giving her pledge to Arizona head coach Adia Barnes in early February.

“I wasn’t getting recruited by Power 5 programs until December,” Swann said.

Both the recruiting sites and Swann say things changed for two reasons: she got fully healthy and in better shape. It made all the difference. The unranked Swann turned up at No. 81 in the final ESPN HoopGurlz rankings for the class of 2024.

It was a big get for Barnes, who received a late commitment from a top 100 player for the second straight season. Last year, it was Skylar Jones, who de-committed from Missouri and landed at Arizona. It worked out very well for both parties. Barnes and Swann hope it works out the same way this season.

Swann has one advantage on her side in that regard. She can learn directly from Jones, who is her roommate.

Swann isn’t coming to Tucson with expectations or demands on her mind. She didn’t talk of “when” she got minutes her freshman year. Instead, she discussed what her goals were “if” she got minutes.

That mindset is even more important to Barnes these days. She has always put development high on her list, but it hasn’t always been high on the lists of some recent freshmen. Immediate playing time has been the demand of both players and their parents lately.

There’s a very good chance that Swann will see time, though. The Wildcats have just five players on the roster who are listed as guards. The other freshman guard, Mailien Rolf, was not in town for the early workouts in June. That will leave four guards who were here all summer.

If she does get early time, it will be for the same reasons that Swann ended up on a Power 4 roster. She will have to stay committed to the work.

Swann put in the work at Long Island Lutheran High School and Exodus EYBL, two strong programs that regularly produce high-major talent. Playing alongside McDonald’s All-Americans as they fought for national titles had a big impact on her.

“I learned how to compete,” she said.

College brings a whole new level of work, though. Some of that is new. Barnes thinks it will help Swann stay on the right track.

“In high school, you get injured, then you never rehab again,” Barnes said. “It’s like, oh, we have to start doing prehab stuff, just like strength stuff. She’s never really been in the weight room a whole lot. And then I think just normal freshman stuff, like one leg is 20 percent stronger than the other. That’s stuff that we’ve measured that you just don’t have the resources for in high school.”

Barnes hopes that keeps her freshman on the floor because she brings something that Arizona needs.

“Lauryn, as a freshman, coming in hungry, just ready to go,” Barnes said. “She gives us another really good shooter.”

Despite having 14 players on the team this year, there could still be some depth issues on the perimeter, especially when it comes to having athleticism out there. Having all hands on deck will be crucial for Arizona’s success in its first year in the Big 12.