EVANSVILLE — Jared Swanson searched for a place that would allow his family to finally settle down.
His coaching career sent him across the United States and beyond. It was fulfilling and offered zero real regrets. But following 13 years at the Division I level, plus another year in Australia, Swanson determined one final change was necessary. Find somewhere to call home for his wife and three kids.
That led him to Memorial High School.
Swanson was officially announced as the Tigers’ boys basketball coach on Tuesday, July 15. The Minnesota native said his family was very picky on where to relocate. The wish list was met in Evansville.
“I really feel that we hit the jackpot,” Swanson said. “We want to settle down. We feel like we’re in the perfect spot to do that. The history here is just amazing. We walked the halls of the schools and see all of the state championships. The only one missing is boys basketball. I want to add one of those here.”
Swanson was a first-team All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honoree at Concordia College (Minn.). He later played professionally for four years in Australia, which is where he met his wife, Jessica. Following a brief stint coaching high school basketball in Arizona, Swanson went to the college level.
He was either an assistant coach or director of operations with stops at Boise State (grad assistant), North Dakota State, San Jose State, Ohio, Northern State, and Green Bay. Swanson was most recently the General Manager and Director of Basketball of the North Gold Coast Seahawks Basketball Association in Australia, overseeing 4,000 members and 11 club branches.
He has a bachelor’s degree in Social Studies Education from Concordia College and a master’s degree from Idaho State in Physical Education in Athletic Administration. Swanson will teach social studies at Annunciation Christ the King School.
“We are thrilled to welcome Coach Swanson to the Memorial family,” Memorial athletics director Chad Dockery said. “His global experience, leadership, commitment to player development, and character building make him a tremendous asset to our school and basketball program.”
Swanson takes over a traditionally competitive program both within Evansville and the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference. Memorial has four straight winning seasons, including 18 victories and the Class 3A sectional championship last winter.
The Tiger graduated four seniors, including the SIAC Player of the Year, but return two starters in seniors Dylen Kendrick (8.2 points, 5.2 assists, 3.0 rebounds) and Maxx Anslinger (8.8 points, 5.0 rebounds). Swanson has already watched multiple games from last season on HUDL to get an early sense on the style required for year one.
Some change will be necessary for Swanson after a decade-plus away from the high school ranks. The athletes and expectations are different. Swanson prefers a quicker pace but also prides his system on defense, which doesn’t change at any level is basketball.
“The sport is still the same,” Swanson said. “The big thing I will concentrate on is fundamentals. Let’s not turn the ball over. Let’s make it simple. We don’t have to reinvent anything. You can win games and championships on defense. It will be a little bit of learning for me. I do feel like we have a really good chance to be successful.”
Heath Howington went 71-44 over five seasons with Memorial before taking the Barr-Reeve job in May. Swanson said the key to building off the program’s past success is an emphasis on player development in the feeder system. The Tigers have 12 sectional titles, seven conference titles and five regional championships in program history.
Beyond basketball, Swanson kept pointing back to the environment offered both in Evansville and at Memorial. He and his wife have two sons and one daughter between third and eighth grade. Swanson views this stop as a long-term solution, but the ability to adjust to new surroundings ― much like his college career ― now becomes key.
“I’m not going to say it’s my way,” he said. “We’re going to adjust and change a few things based on the guys we have. What’s going to be really important to me is for our guys to represent themselves on and off the court at a really high level. You’re representing your team and school. You’re representing all of the other guys who played before you. They want us to succeed here.”
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Jared Swanson has been named Memorial High School boys basketball coach
Reporting by Kyle Sokeland, Evansville Courier & Press / Evansville Courier & Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
