Northwestern basketball might have next star in transfer Jared Swopshire

Needing someone else to shoulder the load at small forward in the wake of John Shurna's graduation, the Northwestern Wildcats likely couldn't have found a better replacement than Louisville transfer Jared Swopshire, Scott Powers of ESPN Chicago writes.

Swopshire, a redshirt junior last season, began looking at possible transfer schools once it became clear that playing time wouldn't come his way at Louisville this season. Northwestern quickly endeared itself to Swopshire. "I took a visit here, loved the coaches, loved the players, the system. I’m here," he said before Tuesday's game against Maryland.

While the fifth-year senior was relatively quiet in the Wildcats' blowout loss to the Terrapins, their first defeat of the season, his per game averages of 10.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists are quite solid. He isn't quite as prolific offensively as Shurna was, but the Wildcats are still thrilled with the role he's filling.

"He’s a versatile player. He can make a shot. He can rebound. I just like the calmness he has. There’s a maturity level that I think helps some of these younger guys," Wildcats coach Bill Carmody said.

After filling a limited role with Louisville last year, averaging just 13.1 minutes per game, Swopshire is one of the Wildcats' most important players, averaging 27.4 minutes per game so far. He isn't scoring as much as guards Reggie Hearn and Drew Crawford, respectively, but he's doing so efficiently, shooting 48 percent from the field.