At it’s core SAWUSA’s mission is about developing leaders through International Sports travel. Two coaches on SAWUSA’s Summer 2025 Coaching Staff have the unique distinction of knowing exactly what that development looks like from the athlete’s point of view. That’s because they were both once SAWUSA athletes!
Coach Brandon Averitt, who will lead this summer’s Costa Rica Adventure Tour, is currently as assistant coach for Chaffey College in California. He was a SAWUSA athlete at the 2016 United World Games.
Coach Sam Swinford, who will lead this summer’s Portugal Basketball Festival Tour, is currently the head coach at Southeastern Illinois College. He was a SAWUSA athlete at the 2018 United World Games.
Both coaches are actually both SAWUSA Coaching Alumni as well. Swinford previously led SAWUSA tours to Costa Rica (2022) and Argentina (2023). Averitt led a team at the 2024 United World Games.
They both also share something else in common – Gold Medal experience at the United World Games! Swinford won a Gold Medal as a player for SAWUSA’s 2018 U19 West team. Coach Averitt took home a Bronze medal as an player in 2016 but finished the job last summer leading our U19 Boys to Gold.
I asked both coaches to reflect on their time as both a player and a coach with SAWUSA. Below are their thoughts as well as some pictures of them coming full circle with SAWUSA.
Perhaps they will be leading another young man this summer who will go on to a college coaching career like they have done?
Regardless, SAWUSA is about finding and developing leaders. We are proud to have found these two young men and play a small role in their leadership development!
Sam Swinford the Athlete
“As a player I was fortunate to have the opportunity to have several incredible life experiences that I wouldn’t have had without basketball, but none compare to the SAWUSA United World Games experience that I had! This was my first time out of the country without family so I can remember being a bit unsure as a young traveler, but was immediately at ease as I was surrounded by awesome coaches (shout out to Coach Scott!), tour coordinators, and teammates that made the trip unforgettable! A highlight that stands out was the trip to Venice and the opportunity to have a real authentic Italian dinner and the Gondola ride! In addition to incredible excursions and experiences, I was proud to represent the USA as we captured the first ever Gold Medal for SAWUSA at the United World Games! I keep up with some of my teammates turned friends from that trip even all of these years later and proudly display my gold medal in my office now as a coach.” –Sam Swinford
Swinford (#31, left) in Austria in 2018
Brandon Averitt the Athlete
Averitt (#51, second from left in the top row) in Austria in 2016
“The opportunity to represent your country in international competition is an honor that cannot be understated. The teammates I would have never have played with if not for this opportunity have become friends for life. When you go into a new land together with a common goal of victory, you form a bond that can never be broken.” -Brandon Averitt
Sam Swinford the Coach
“After such a wonderful experience as a player, I knew I had to find a way to reconnect with SAWUSA and have had the opportunity to now coach on the Costa Rica Adventure (2022) and the Argentina Experience (2023) and look forward to returning for the Portugal Basketball Festival Tour in 2025! I am asked regularly if I enjoyed the Argentina or Costa Rica tour more and I am yet to make up my mind. Both tours brought competitive basketball, once-in-a-lifetime excursions, and awesome athletes and their families who made the trips unforgettable. My Argentina Experience team played their first game of the tour at Bernal and were met with a “standing room only” crowd that was the best in-game atmosphere that I’ve been a part of in my coaching career. Our athletes were celebrated and treated like rock-stars as they represented the USA in competition – autographs were signed, photos were taken, and the players were able to have a friendly post game BBQ with the other team. I will not soon forget the rain forests of Costa Rica or Mar Del Plata in Argentina but especially enjoyed seeing the memories made by the families that traveled with us, friendships formed by players from across the U.S., and growth through competition during the tours! I look forward to making more memories soon!” –Sam Swinford
Swinford coaching in Costa Rica in 2022
Brandon Averitt the Coach
Averitt coaching in Austria in 2024
“As a coach, I’m glad I can help offer that same life-changing experience I was given to the next generation of student-athletes. Helping young players broaden their horizons, make life-long friends, and live out their dreams is the biggest reason why I wanted to return as a coach.” -Brandon Averitt