Swift to Take Part in Draft

USC’s top recruit, center Robert Swift of Bakersfield High, has made himself available for the NBA draft, though he has not hired an agent and could still play for the Trojans.

Swift, a 7-foot, 245-pound McDonald’s All-American, faxed his letter to the NBA late Tuesday night.

“I’m not going to hire an agent until I find out where I’m going to go or if I’m going” to be drafted, Swift said Wednesday night.

The website www.NBAdraft.net projects Swift as the 21st pick, by the Utah Jazz.

Being chosen in the first round -- among the first 30 picks -- ensures a guaranteed three-year contract, while a second-round selection guarantees nothing.

“Even if I don’t get drafted, I can still play for Coach [Henry] Bibby,” said Swift, who averaged 18.8 points, 15.9 rebounds and 6.2 blocks as a senior. “Coach Bibby knows that. He told me he would like me to play at USC, but he supported whatever decision I made.”

Swift, who has been called a program-changer by Bibby, has been told that if he is drafted in the second round, he could still attend USC, as long as he does not sign a contract with a team or agent.

“We still have hope, that’s a possibility,” Bibby said. “But we want what’s best for him. We always want our guys to go to school for at least a little while. But if that’s what he wants, then we wish him the best.”

Swift, whose paternal grandmother is from Okinawa, Japan, would be the first non-African American high school player to be drafted.

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Westchester High guard Gabe Pruitt, who also signed with USC, fell short in his first attempt to get his qualifying score on the SAT. He will take the test again June 5. He anticipates passing and playing for the Trojans next season.

“I’m still going there, I’m just finishing up and getting ready to graduate,” Pruitt said. “It should be no problem getting my score.”

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Former UCLA assistant Jim Saia, who has been working at USC in an unofficial capacity, is “in the mix” to fill an administrative spot on his staff, Bibby said.