вЂњLee is a great coach and person and is doing a great thing for the boys, and itвЂ™s something I wanted to get involved in.вЂќ вЂњI got into coaching when my son was young,вЂќ said Gearhart, who also worked in the past as an assistant coach at Highlands School.

But I have had FHS students in the past.вЂќДЄssisting Scruggs is Ryan Gearhart, who is the fire chief in Highlands. вЂњMost of the Franklin players will play for the Big Cats, which is another AAU team. вЂњI donвЂ™t have anyone from FHS this year,вЂќ he said. schools, such as one from Greensboro Day School and others from Pisgah High School, Mountain Heritage High School, West Henderson School, and Enka High School. Plus, Scruggs has on his team players from other N.C. No tryouts I hand pick the team.вЂќД«ecause AAUвЂ™s rules state that a team is allowed to include on its roster three team members from outside the divisionвЂ™s state, Team Swish includes three Rabun Gap students. Then I reach out to the parents and give them an invitation to play. I go around and watch games and see who is a good fit for the team. Since IвЂ™m a basketball junkie, I learn who is good in the area. He added, вЂњWeвЂ™ve had nine guys to go on to play college ball, to Ohio, West Virginia, Nebraska, and other schools through the United States. It only takes one coach to like you вЂ“ to be in the right place at the right time.вЂќ ItвЂ™s not about winning and losing for us itвЂ™s about exposure.

So recruiters donвЂ™t pay attention to Western North Carolina guys like they should. Growing up in Franklin, a lot of kids in Western North Carolina donвЂ™t get the credit they deserve because there is so much talent in the Eastern part of the state. вЂњAnd then I got an itch to start Team Swish in 2018. вЂњI got into coaching around 2010 due to a coaching opportunity at Rabun Gap, and then I started helping a buddy out with travel ball,вЂќ said Scruggs. When he retired from basketball, instead of walking away from the sport, he decided to use his skills to help high schoolers interested in pursuing the game seriously achieve their future goals.

He played for Georgetown and then for the NBA Developmental League in Asheville. Scruggs ended up playing for Daytona Beach (Florida) Community College, where he averaged 17.9 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 4.1 blocks over two seasons. Two years later, a strong junior season propelled Scruggs into the national recruiting news, where Clemson, Ohio State, and Western Carolina recruited him.вЂќ Team Swish was started by Franklin High School graduate Lee Scruggs, described in a Georgetown Basketball History Project report this way: вЂњA gifted 6вЂ™11вЂќ forward, Scruggs grew up in the western North Carolina town of Franklin (pop: 2,845), where he was cut from his high school basketball team as a freshman. вЂњThe little team that couldвЂќ is how Michael Carrier describes Team Swish, which just won the NCAAU (North Carolina Amateur Athletic Union) State Championship in Greensboro, N.C., during MotherвЂ™s Day weekend.Д¬arrier, who now lives in Greensboro, resided previously in Highlands and became involved in assisting with a basketball program called Team Swish due to his son, Reid, (then a freshman at Highlands School) who played for the team for three years. The assistant coach (right) is Ryan Gearhart.

Coach Lee Scruggs (left) of Team Swish poses with the players after their NCAAU tournament win over Mother's Day weekend.

Swish basketball