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Villanova lands prized basketball recruit Cole Swider

The 6-foot-8 forward from Rhode Island picked the Wildcats over Syracuse, Duke and Xavier.

Villanova men’s basketball head coach Jay Wright has his second high school commitment for the recruiting class of 2018.
Villanova men’s basketball head coach Jay Wright has his second high school commitment for the recruiting class of 2018.Read moreYong Kim/Staff Photographer

Villanova picked up its second four-star high school player for its freshman class of 2018 on Friday when 6-foot-8 forward Cole Swider announced at a press conference that he had committed to the Wildcats.

Swider, who attends St. Andrews School in Barrington, R.I., chose Villanova over his other three finalists – Duke, Syracuse and Xavier. He had made official visits to those three universities in the last two weeks.

"I want to tell everyone I'll be attending Villanova University," Swider said at the start of a press conference at St. Andrews, before putting on a Villanova cap.

Swider, considered a strong perimeter shooter, is ranked in the top 100 by four recruiting services, and as high as No. 48 by ESPN.com. He also is rated 69th by Scout, 89th by Rivals and 92nd by 247Sports. He plays AAU ball with the Boston Athletic Basketball Club.

Villanova coach Jay Wright received his first commitment for 2018 on May 25 when 6-5 guard Brandon Slater of Fairfax, Va., pledged.