by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
Camryn Swanson is not only first in 3-point field goals for Kansas City Kansas Community College’s No. 9 ranked Lady Blue Devils. She’s also the first captain under the leadership of fourth year coach Joe McKinstry.
“I have not done that (selected a captain) in the past but I felt like her character and how she handles herself academically made her a good choice,” said McKinstry, whose Blue Devils are coming off a 78-72 win over No. 3 ranked Highland and play at No. 1 Johnson County Wednesday night.
“Camryn has a very quiet demeanor, has done everything we’ve asked, never been a problem and a fantastic teammate. I thought it was important that she represent us as our captain,” he said.
“I was a little surprised because I never thought of myself as someone who leads the team,” said Swanson of her captaincy. “A lot of responsibility goes with it but we have a lot of sophomores who accept the same responsibility.”
The Blue Devil leader in 3-point goals as a freshman with 41, Swanson currently ranks seventh in the nation this season with 72 treys. Third on the KCKCC all-time list of 3-pointers, she’s already tied for second for career 3’s with 113. Add in 48 3-pointers from Brodi Byrd and 47 from Caroline Hoppock (both freshmen), the Blue Devils have made 228 treys this season – an average of 9.5 per game which is third best in the nation.
“We knew she was a very talented shot maker when we recruited her and although she’s still a shooter, she’s done a great job of evolving her game on both ends of the court rather than be just a catch and shoot player,” McKinstry said. For the season, Swanson is fourth in scoring at 10.8 points. Averaging less than a turnover a game, she’s averaging 1.5 assists and 2.1 rebounds.
A graduate of Blue Springs (Missouri) High School, Swanson was named the team’s Offensive Player of the Year and All-District as a senior. Two-time all-conference honorable mention, she averaged 12.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists – as well as being a Student-Athlete Leadership Award recipient.
KCKCC began its recruitment of Swanson after she played on an AAU team coached by then KCKCC assistant Chamissa Anderson.
“Basically, she was just what we were looking for character-wise and academically,” McKinstry said. “Although she only lives 20 miles away, she stayed here on campus this summer, took classes and was in the gym every day working on her game.”
Swanson started following the KCKCC program the year after the Blue Devils won the 2016 national championship. “I liked the way Coach Mac ran his program; the way he ran it would give me more opportunities. I wanted to be a part of it.”
And a big part it has been. She’s made four or more 3-pointers in nine games this season with a high of seven against Southeast Nebraska. The seven 3’s are just one off the KCKCC record.
Carrying a 3.8 grade point average, Swanson will receive her associate in liberal arts degree in May.
“I don’t know where I’ll be going to a four-year school but I know I want to keep playing,” she said.
“She has a future,” McKinstry said. “Between her academics and her athletic abilities, she’s going to have her opportunities. Any program that gets her is going to be very lucky to have her.”