Syracuse, N.Y. -- By the time Cole Swider began the press conference to announce his college decision, the element of surprise was long gone.
Swider, a Top 50 recruit in the 2018 class, walked into the gymnasium at St. Andrew's School in Barrington, R.I., along with his parents for the announcement, but almost everyone in the gym already knew.
Swider had decided to attend Villanova University.
A 6-foot-9 forward, Swider chose Villanova from a group of finalists that also included Syracuse, Duke and Xavier.
Swider, the No. 48 prospect in the 2018 class according to ESPN.com, was a hot recruiting target thanks to his versatility and his outstanding shooting stroke. He averaged 26.5 points per game last season for St. Andrew's.
Prior to Friday morning when word of Swider's decision was first reported by the Providence Journal, Villanova seemed like it had fallen behind in the race for Swider.
Swider had recently taken official visits to three of the four schools on his final list. All but Villanova.
He visited the Syracuse campus on June 18-20. He then went to Duke and Xavier, completing the Xavier visit this past Tuesday.
Apparently, Swider didn't bother with an official visit to Villanova because he had already taken several unofficial trips to the school.
Losing out on Swider hurts Syracuse. It's another loss in a highly publicized chase for a highly-rated recruit.
Last fall, Kentucky got Philadelphia product Quade Green to change his mind about coming to Syracuse at the last minute. Earlier this spring, Duke swooped in to snatch Jordan Tucker, who had been down to Syracuse and Georgia Tech. Duke only offered Tucker a scholarship after missing out on Kevin Knox, who committed to Kentucky.
Syracuse has still managed to bring in some solid propects, including incoming freshmen Oshae Brissett, Marek Dolezaj and Bourama Sidibe.
The SU coaches remain in good position for several other key prospects in the 2018 class. Syracuse's list of targets includes New Jersey guard Jalen Carey, Ohio forward Darius Bazley and Brewster (N.H.) Academy center Nate Roberts.
Bazley, a 6-9 forward from Cincinnati, Ohio, is making an unofficial visit to the Syracuse campus on Friday. Carey visited the SU campus a week ago.
Syracuse could also ramp up its pursuit of other 2018 recruits.