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Sand Creek alum Schwartz signs with Turkish league team

D'Shawn's Dream: Sand Creek alum hopes to hear name called at 2022 NBA Draft
Posted at 4:19 PM, Jun 23, 2022
and last updated 2022-08-01 23:25:32-04

COLORADO SPRINGS — Sand Creek alum D'Shawn Schwartz has officially signed a professional contract.

Over the weekend, the CU & George Mason alum signed his first professional contract and will compete with Fenerbahce Koleji Safiport in Istanbul, Turkey this coming season.

Schwartz joins a club steeped in history. The team captured the Turkish TB2L Championship in 2022 and is one of the most storied franchises in the country’s basketball annals.

Schwartz recently wrapped up an NBA Summer League stint with the New York Knicks, which capped a busy spring and summer stretch for the Colorado Springs, Colo., product.

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Sand Creek alum D'Shawn Schwartz has put Southern Colorado of the national stage for his basketball skills.

Now, D'Shawn hopes his NBA dreams can also come true on Thursday night during the 2022 NBA Draft.

"My mom has been speaking this into existence forever," explained Schwartz. "And I have been playing since I was 10. I have been working for this my whole life and now that it is here, it is kind of surreal"

From a young Scorpion to Boulder with the Buffs, Schwartz's basketball career has taken him to places he has dreamed about his whole life

"A lot of people talk about your journey, and everyone's journey is different," said Schwartz. "It is not exactly how I planned it or how I saw it going. But I would not change a thing.

This past season, the Springs native took a leap of faith and transferring to George Mason University on the east coast with his extra COVID-19 year of eligibility

"You can go out and move away from home and you are still going to be yourself. It is important to challenge yourself and move along," said Schwartz.

And D'Shawn next challenge is the NBA.

The 6-7 combo guard has worked out for 6 NBA teams ahead of Thursday's NBA draft, including the hometown team the Denver Nuggets.

"I know the work I put in, I know how I preformed at the workouts and now its out of my hands," explained Schwartz.

The goal for D'Shawn is to show that kids from Colorado Springs can make it to the league - like Palmer alum Reggie Jackson - but that can only happen if he hears he name called Thursday night, a dream that D'Shawn has had since he was a kid.

"It is going to be a huge relief with all the work I have put in," concluded D'Shawn. "But it is only going to last 24 hours because then it is time to go back to work and the real journey starts.

Schwartz is a projected as a late-round pick or undrafted free agent.
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