46 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED
going to do it, without question.
He's going to make whatever
sacrifice he needs to. He's just
really driven."
Today, Swanigan's still the
physical force that made him
the best high school rebounder
in his class nationally and one
of the most imposing back-to-
the-basket scorers, but now that
power is coming from a leaner
6-9, 250-pound frame.
His physical metamorphosis
has been impressive, brought on
to some extent by his adopted fa-
ther, Roosevelt Barnes, a former
Purdue athlete and NFL player
and, for his career, a contract ad-
visor for Relativity Sports, which
represents countless high-pro-
file professional athletes. The
profession has offered Barnes
and his adopted son perspective
on how the great ones operate.
Barnes, in essence, barred
Swanigan from making recruit-
ing visits until he began chang-
ing his body, dropping weight,
and so the process began.
Today, Swanigan's work ethic
is described as almost obsessive.
"I'm with him every day, and
there is not one day where he
doesn't work out even though
we have practice, too," said Ter-
rance Ferguson, an Alabama
commitment, while Swanigan's
teammate on the 19-and-Under
team this summer in Greece.
"Before we wake up, he's in the
weight room at 6 o'clock in the
morning or outside running. His
work ethic is crazy, probably the
Paul Sadler
Swanigan's combination of power, skill, productivity and basketball knowledge made
him one of the most coveted recruits in the country.
