Hailee Swain looks to leave a legacy at Stanford
Stanford women’s basketball’s first commit in the 2025 class is 4-star point guard Hailee Swain out of Holy Innocents in Atlanta, Georgia. Swain caught up with CardinalSportsReport.com about why she chose Stanford and what she hopes to bring to the program.
For Swain, Stanford has always been the school she’s wanted to play at. Upon visiting the campus and seeing the program up close, that confirmed to her that Stanford is the place for her. The fact that Stanford puts academics first while also excelling in athletics separated them from other programs.
“Well, Stanford is my dream school and once I went up there and saw the campus and spent a couple days up there, it kinda just felt like home. I loved my coaching staff; I loved how sisterhood and family is valued at Stanford. But it’s also a business. And also how the student athletes at Stanford are, they’re truly students first and I think that me going to Stanford would set me up for basketball opportunities: Pro, overseas, or the WNBA. But it will also set me up for life after the ball stops bouncing.”
Touching more on the coaching staff, Swain likes how well they communicate and connect with their players at a personal level. She feels like they have their players’ best interests at heart and know how to individualize their coaching to suit the needs of each of their players.
“Like I said, I do love the entire coaching staff,” Swain said. “I think each coach knows how to communicate with each player and particularly Coach Tara. I think she does an amazing job communicating with her players. How she delivers information to them on and off the court.”
As a result of how much Stanford clicked with her, it should come as no surprise that as soon as they offered her a scholarship, she knew it was an opportunity she could not turn down.
“I felt like once they offered, I knew where I wanted to go,” Swain said. “Like Stanford, that was my place, that was my home. That’s where I wanted to play my next four years of after high school. So once they offered, like right on spot I was like that’s where I’m going. I love it here. I love the environment, I love the people, and Coach Britney, she had been talking to me for about a year. She talked to me for about like two times each month. And I could tell that she also cared about not only me as a basketball player, but me as a person…I love how everyone was very welcoming. I felt taken care of while I was out there.”
One Stanford player who Swain has connected with is a player who shares the same first name as her, though with a different spelling: Haley Jones. Swain has always looked up to her and was really excited when she got to meet her for the first time. Even though they won’t play together at Stanford, she’s confident that they’ll maintain a close connection.
“Yes. So, actually when I went up, I knew about her previously before I went to the camp,” Swain said of Jones. “But, when I was up there and I was doing the drills, she was encouraging me and it was kinda crazy because I look up to her. Like she’s been one of my role models. And she actually, once I committed, she actually sent me [a message] and said welcome to the family and congratulations and things like that and I can see her being a big sister to me.”
As for what she’ll bring to The Farm, Swain looks to bring an up-tempo/fast paced style. She loves to push the ball in transition and use her speed to create plays for her teammates.
“I think I can bring my fast-paced transition game to Stanford’s program,” Swain said. “Like for example, getting a rebound and pushing it all the way to the rim or kicking it out to a teammate for a shot or just getting the ball quickly up the floor. I like to play fast.”
What’s really helped Swain hone her craft is her father Robert Swain, who played collegiately at UConn and College of Charleston before playing five years at the professional ranks. Robert then went on to found Swain Basketball Academy in Atlanta, giving him a chance to give back to the next generation of basketball players.
“My dad played college basketball at UConn,” Swain explained. “He played pro overseas. So he was really like my role model and he started training me when I was seven years old and he’s always pushed me to be great. And not just good, there’s a video and he’s like Hailee do you want to be good or great and I’m like ‘Great!’ and then I start doing push-ups. But my dad, he’s always pushed me to be the best I can be. He taught me to always be mentally strong, he taught me to focus on me and just keep grinding, keep working, and he’s helped me get this far.”
As for what he thinks his daughter will bring to The Farm, Robert things she’ll bring leadership and make everyone around her better. Leadership is something he’s tried to instill in her and really be a player who the coaches can trust with the ball.
“I think she’s gonna bring a lot of leadership,” Robert said. “I think players just around her, she’s gonna make them better, and I think she is going to be a great extension to the head coach. Whether it’s Tara, whether it’s the next coach in line. She’s gonna be a great extension on the floor. So it’ll kinda give Stanford an advantage because it’s like you have the coach really playing the game. Hailee is that kind of player where she’ll execute what the coaches want and play with unbelievable confidence in making players around her better.”
On the academic side, Swain is hoping to use her education at Stanford to be a champion of social justice. A legal career might be in her future once her basketball career is over.
“I’m very interested with social justice,” Swain said. “I may wanna do something where I [work with] social justice. Yeah, pre-law.”
As she looks ahead to her time at Stanford, what Hailee Swain is most look forward to is leaving a lasting imprint on The Farm. When she looks back at her time at Stanford, she wants to know she made a difference and carved out her own legacy apart from anyone else’s:
“I’m most looking forward to winning national championships and creating a legacy at Stanford.”
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