Here’s to hoping the path from Germany to Greensboro to Charlotte happens for the former BYU star.
Last Friday the Greensboro Swarm made a trade that probably flew under the radar for most Hornets fans but showered me, personally, with all of the joy of the bursting of a basketball piñata.
The Hornets G League affiliate traded the returning player rights of forwards Chudier Bile and Tyler Cook to the Salt Lake City Stars for shooting guard Carsen Edwards and power forward Yoeli Childs. It was the addition of Yoeli Childs that has left me thoroughly excited for two reasons.
First, the 6’8”, 225-pounder is worth taking a flier on by a franchise that’s seriously lacking at the traditional power forward position. Second, Childs starred for four years at my alma mater and lifelong favorite school, BYU, so this transaction is more personal than professional for me.
It’s always nice when guys you like from colleges you’re passionate about end up with your favorite professional team, or at least on the fringes of it like the G League represents. Now, Yoeli is currently playing for the Hamburg Towers in Germany which is why the Hornets acquired his returning rights, meaning that if he returns to the G League it will be with the Hornets. At 24 years old and entering the prime of his career, I’d expect he still wants to chase his NBA dream and wouldn’t rule out a return to the G League at some point.
While it’s a long shot that Childs will appear for the Hornets this year he’s something of a PJ Washington 2.0 who could make some noise with the Swarm. Here’s what you need to know:
Yoeli was a four-year starter at BYU who flat out dominated his junior and senior seasons. As a junior in 2018-19 he averaged 21.2 points, 9.7 rebounds, plus a steal and a block per game. In his senior season in 2019-20 he put up similar numbers of 22.2 points and 9.0 boards. He’s a skilled offensive player who shot 53.7% from the floor and 35.6% from the 3-point line over his four-year college career.
As a senior he dropped 28 points with 10 rebounds in an upset win against No. 2 ranked Gonzaga. Childs was the first player in BYU history to record over 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in his career. He was a three-time All-WCC first team selection. He has a post game that features both power and finesse while sporting a good enough touch from the 3-point line that defenders need to respect his outside shot.
Childs went undrafted in 2020 and has since spent time with three different G League teams – the Capital City Go-Go, Erie BayHawks, and the Salt Lake City Stars. Per the Swarm website he played 23 games with the Stars and averaged 15.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. He spent the 2021 Summer League with the Los Angeles Lakers.
From a personal standpoint, I live in Greensboro and attend a handful of Swarm games each year. While the path to Greensboro – and then to Charlotte – is a long one for Yoeli, he’ll have at least one fan cheering for him if he suits up for the Swarm this year.