Lyric Swann has played varsity at Long Reach since freshman year, and it was only a matter of time before she caught the attention of D1 institutions. Swann, a junior at Long Reach, is already prepared for the next stage of her life as she has verbally committed to UMBC, where she plans to play basketball.

“Lyric is a highly skilled basketball player. She will absolutely benefit UMBC in terms of playing,” stated Daniel Kundrat, a junior at Long Reach.

You may know UMBC as the team that upset first seeded Virginia in a shocking first round of March Madness. However, UMBC Women’s Basketball did not quite have the same magic the men had. Their season ended with a 3-13 record, the second lowest within their division, and they have not won a championship in the America East conference since 2007.

“I expect to help UMBC win and put them on the map,” stated Swann.

In addition, Swann’s mother Karyn Swann believes her daughter will have academic accomplishments as well, stating that the decision was based off of academics first, so Swann’s first priority would be getting her degree while the second would be developing as a basketball player.

As an attestment to her basketball skills, Swann already has more experience competing than her mother, who also attended UMBC as a walk-on on the basketball team. Even though Ms. Swann had a late start in basketball, she was still able to finish top ten in scoring, assists, and rebounds at UMBC.

“Lyric is already a superstar, doing amazing things in high school, so I expect her to far exceed what I did,” said Ms. Swann. With the immense experience that Swann has gained from playing since elementary school, her mother holds high expectations.

“I look up to my Mom and it’s cool that I am going to college where she went,” Swann enthuses. Swann credits most of her basketball ability to her Mom who has helped develop the skills that got the attention of the college of her choice.

Everyone who has seen Swann play at Long Reach is excited to see her play at the next level, but first at Long Reach she hopes to help obtain a state championship for the girls’ varsity team.

“I want to leave a legacy of being one of the most impactful players in the history of the program [Long Reach],” exclaimed Swann. Swann is well on track to achieving that goal with her most recent recognition as Howard County’s girls basketball Player of the Year.

Swann’s basketball story is far from over; there is still a lot more we have yet to see.