Syla Swords provides a glimpse of Canada basketball's future with Olympic appearance

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2:25 PM on Sunday, August 4, 2024

By DOUG FEINBERG

VILLENEUVE-D'ASCQ, France (AP) — Syla Swords is the youngest Canadian basketball player to compete in the Olympics. Canada went winless in the women's competition at the Paris Games but the 18-year-old Swords gained valuable experience. Swords continued her family’s Olympic legacy. Her father, Shawn, played for the Canadian men’s squad at the 2000 Sydney Games when the team finished seventh. Swords will be a freshman at Michigan this fall. Wolverines coach Kim Barnes Arico was in France to catch Swords’ last game — a loss to Nigeria that eliminated Canada from the Olympics. She wore a red Canada shirt with Swords’ name and No. 12 on the back.