Florida State University Athletics
Tuesday, February 4
Tallahassee, Fla.
7:00 p.m.
Florida State
vs
University of Notre Dame
AJ Swinton: Bringing Energy To The Seminoles As Notre Dame Comes To Tallahassee
2/3/2025 12:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball
TALLAHASSEE – As Florida State gears up to face Notre Dame in an important ACC game, Seminole freshman AJ Swinton continues his return to the court and as he works himself back into Florida State's rotation after missing four games.
Swinton was back in the Seminoles lineup on Saturday against Boston College and didn't miss a beat.
Florida State (13-9, 4-7 ACC) plays host to Notre Dame (10-11, 4-6 ACC) on Tuesday night at 7:00 at the Donald L. Tucker Center. It's the only regular season meeting between the two teams. The Seminoles' game against the Fighting Irish is a Spear-It Rewards game for the FSU Students; students earn double points at check in and Nole Zone wristbands will be given to the first 750 students who check in at the Spear IT Rewards table at the top of section 120.
The newcomer made an immediate impact in his return against Boston College, scoring a career-high 10 points.
"My mindset going into the game was to just come out and play my hardest, while just following the game plan as best as possible," said Swinton.
In scoring his career-high of 10 points on four of six made field goals against Boston College he played the best game of his burgeoning career. The super-athletic freshman made four of six field goals, two of four 3-point field goals, and pulled down a career-high tying four rebounds against the Eagles.
Known for his high energy and defensive presence, Swinton continues to build to his offensive rhythm. His confidence continues to grow, and his return adds depth to the Seminoles' lineup.
"I knew I was ready to come back in the lineup when I felt I was able to go up and down (the court) with my teammates and practice in live action," said Swinton. "Being able to jump up and down multiple times as an athlete, spring for rebounds, dunk the ball, run in transition with no sense of pain -- that's when I knew I'd be ready.
Swinton was certainly ready on Saturday.
Swinton had made three 3-point field goals entering Saturday's game against Boston College (one each in three consecutive games against Temple (November 22), UMass (November 24), and Western Carolina (November 26). He nearly matched that total with a single-game career-high two 3-point field goals against the Eagles.
Swinton had scored 35 points in the first 17 games of his Florida State career (2.1 points per game) before scoring 10 points against the Eagles. His previous career-high was eight points against UMass.
Swinton had missed the previous four games (against Georgia Tech, at Cal, at Stanford, and Virginia Tech) before scoring more points against Boston College (10) than he had scored in his previous nine appearances (six points).
Swinton is excited to be back on the court and is looking forward to the Seminole's upcoming ACC schedule.
"It feels great to be back on the court," said Swinton. "Just being out there with my teammates and helping them be better is always great."
Seminole head coach Leonard Hamilton was certainly pleased to have Swinton back on the court and looks forward to more nights where he stuffs the stat sheet as he did against Boston College.
"AJ gave us good energy and hit a couple of threes," said Hamilton on Swinton's performance against Boston College. "His defense was solid. I am looking forward to him being a lot more comfortable come tomorrow against Notre Dame."
Swinton was back in the Seminoles lineup on Saturday against Boston College and didn't miss a beat.
Florida State (13-9, 4-7 ACC) plays host to Notre Dame (10-11, 4-6 ACC) on Tuesday night at 7:00 at the Donald L. Tucker Center. It's the only regular season meeting between the two teams. The Seminoles' game against the Fighting Irish is a Spear-It Rewards game for the FSU Students; students earn double points at check in and Nole Zone wristbands will be given to the first 750 students who check in at the Spear IT Rewards table at the top of section 120.
The newcomer made an immediate impact in his return against Boston College, scoring a career-high 10 points.
"My mindset going into the game was to just come out and play my hardest, while just following the game plan as best as possible," said Swinton.
In scoring his career-high of 10 points on four of six made field goals against Boston College he played the best game of his burgeoning career. The super-athletic freshman made four of six field goals, two of four 3-point field goals, and pulled down a career-high tying four rebounds against the Eagles.
Known for his high energy and defensive presence, Swinton continues to build to his offensive rhythm. His confidence continues to grow, and his return adds depth to the Seminoles' lineup.
"I knew I was ready to come back in the lineup when I felt I was able to go up and down (the court) with my teammates and practice in live action," said Swinton. "Being able to jump up and down multiple times as an athlete, spring for rebounds, dunk the ball, run in transition with no sense of pain -- that's when I knew I'd be ready.
Swinton was certainly ready on Saturday.
Swinton had made three 3-point field goals entering Saturday's game against Boston College (one each in three consecutive games against Temple (November 22), UMass (November 24), and Western Carolina (November 26). He nearly matched that total with a single-game career-high two 3-point field goals against the Eagles.
Swinton had scored 35 points in the first 17 games of his Florida State career (2.1 points per game) before scoring 10 points against the Eagles. His previous career-high was eight points against UMass.
Swinton had missed the previous four games (against Georgia Tech, at Cal, at Stanford, and Virginia Tech) before scoring more points against Boston College (10) than he had scored in his previous nine appearances (six points).
Swinton is excited to be back on the court and is looking forward to the Seminole's upcoming ACC schedule.
"It feels great to be back on the court," said Swinton. "Just being out there with my teammates and helping them be better is always great."
Seminole head coach Leonard Hamilton was certainly pleased to have Swinton back on the court and looks forward to more nights where he stuffs the stat sheet as he did against Boston College.
"AJ gave us good energy and hit a couple of threes," said Hamilton on Swinton's performance against Boston College. "His defense was solid. I am looking forward to him being a lot more comfortable come tomorrow against Notre Dame."
Players Mentioned
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