Overview:
Swenson figures to take over the Gauchos’ point-guard position from fellow Belgian Ajay Mitchell, who’s projected to be a second-round pick in the upcoming NBA Draft
One left-handed point guard from Belgium will be passing the basketball torch to another at UC Santa Barbara.
Stephan Swenson, a 6-foot-2 senior from Stetson University of DeLand, Fla., announced last weekend that he is transferring to UCSB as a graduate student.
Swenson, a native of Brussels, Belgium, is expected to replace UCSB junior Ajay Mitchell, a native of Liege, Belgium, who is projected to be a second-round selection in the upcoming NBA Draft.
“We’ve played together, played against each other, done camps together,” said Swenson, who led Stetson into last March’s NCAA Tournament. “We know each other really well.
“He was a big key to my decision, knowing that he’s had such big success and done great things at Santa Barbara.
“It just kind of confirmed everything that I was feeling about Santa Barbara, hearing about his experience.”
NCAA rules prohibit UCSB coach Joe Pasternack from commenting about Swenson’s commitment until he signs a national letter of intent.
Swenson ranked 18th in NCAA Division 1 basketball last season with 203 assists and 25th in assist average with 5.8 per game. He was 106th in assist-to-turnover ratio.
He also averaged 13.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.54 steals per game.
Stetson, 23-13 overall, advanced to the NCAA Tournament after beating Austin Peay 94-91 in the ASUN final. Swenson contributed 13 points and five assists to that victory, although his play in a semifinal win over Jacksonville was even more impressive.
The Hatters trailed 77-67 with just 4:37 to go when their veteran point scored a runner, assisted a three-pointer, and made four threes of his own— two in the final 11 seconds — in an 88-87, comeback victory. He finished with 29 points while making 7-of-9 threes.
“I bring teams leadership, experience, toughness,” Swenson told Noozhawk. “I’m always going to play hard. I’m always going to put the team first.”
He scored 20 points — more than a third of Stetson’s total — during the first round of the NCAA Tournament in a 91-52 defeat to eventual two-time defending national champion Connecticut.
“They played like national champions against us, too, I’ll tell you that,” Swenson said.
UCSB’s two recent trips to the NCAA Tournament were a major factor in his decision to pick the Gauchos over his other two finalists: Utah State and Charleston. He watched the Gauchos’ 63-62 defeat to fifth-seeded Creighton on television in a first-round game of the 2021 tournament in Indianapolis.
The Gauchos also led No. 3 seed Baylor at halftime before dropping their first-round NCAA Tournament game at Denver in 2023.
“The reason I was really looking forward to visiting Santa Barbara is because I know what they’ve done in the past,” Swenson said. “They’ve shown that they can win and go to the tournament.
“They were right there, one shot away from beating Creighton. They’ve proved they can do it and they’ve done it before, so I want to make it special and make a big run for it this next year.
“It’s just the ultimate trust from the coaching staff and believing that they’ve done it and know what they’re talking about. I’ll just follow the game plan and make something special for next year.”
Stetson center Aubin Gateretse, a 6-11 junior who also hails from Belgium, has listed UCSB among his finalists after also entering the transfer portal. He’s narrowed his choice down to Florida, Nevada, Utah State, DePaul, George Washington and St. Joseph’s as well as the Gauchos.
“I know he’s cut down his list, so it’ll be interesting to see where he ends up,” Swenson said.
“I’m just very thankful for this opportunity,” he added. “I can’t wait to make a run for it and win another championship and make it to the Big Dance and do something special with coach Pasternack.”