T-Birds Gain Division 1 Transfer from UTEP

London native and University of Texas at El Paso transfer Josh McSwiggan will play for the Casper College Thunderbirds next season for his red-shirt freshman season, according to T-Bird Head Coach Dan Russell.

“We are very excited about adding Josh to our program. At his size, with his ability to score and shoot the ball, he brings something that we really needed to add to the roster. He is a great rebounder that is very athletic and has a great feel for the game,” says Russell of the British star guard, adding, “He will have a major impact on our team this upcoming season and we are very excited to have him join our program.”

McSwiggan, a 6’7 wing, tore his meniscus last season early in the year and because of that had to red-shirt this past season at UTEP.

Before heading to UTEP, McSwiggan was a member of the Great Britain National Team and was also rated eighth in the country among players born in 1995 by Hoopsfix.com.

He played for Charnwood College in Loughborough, Leicestershire, and was the team’s 2012-13 Under-18 MVP and the 2013-14 Under-19 Coaches Player of the Year. McSwiggan was also a member of the Under-14 national championship team while averaging 19.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.1 blocks during his final season at Charnwood College, which competes in the Elite Academy Basketball League, and shot 55 percent from the field and 79 percent from the line.

The talented big wing won two gold medals in England’s regional competition and was also a part of England’s Under-16, Under-17, Under-18, and Under-20 squads. He participated in the Luol Deng Camp, earning MVP honors when he was 15 and also was recognized as the eighth-best player in the country at the Luol Deng Camp. In his final season with the Loughborough Student Riders club team that competed in Basketball England National League Division 2, McSwiggan collected 8.3 points per game, 3.6 rebounds per game, 1.2 assists per game, and 1.4 steals per game with a .450 field goal percentage and .800 free throw percentage.