The Greensboro Swarm Look Different, But the Goals Remain the Same

By Sam Perley

When the Greensboro Swarm kicks off the 2026-27 season against the visiting Long Island Nets on Friday night at the Novant Health Fieldhouse, it’ll do so as reigning G League champions for the first time ever. And outside of a couple of returning players, both the roster and coaching staff will look completely different compared to last year’s group.  

“So far, everything’s been good,” said Greensboro’s first-year head coach Zach Peterson, following last Thursday’s training camp practice at Spectrum Center. “We’ve had a really good, really strong, really productive first few days with the crew in Greensboro, but it’s always great to get here in Charlotte and get in this environment, too. I’d say we’ve had a really good, just productive first couple days. We’ve really been able to lay the foundation and the identity.”

Outside of two-way big man PJ Hall and reserve forward Josiah Allick, nobody else currently on the Swarm roster played a single game for the team last season, although a handful joined the Hornets for Summer League and training camp. The rookie crop includes a pair of additional two-way players in Michael Ajayi (F, Butler) and Kylan Boswell (G, Illinois), then DJ Armstrong (G, UMBC), Wyatt Fricks (F, Marshall), Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (G, Alabama) and Tre Carroll (F, Xavier). Trey Townsend (F, Arizona), Jarkel Joiner (G, North Carolina State), Kobe Stewart (G, Presbyterian), DaJuan Gordon (G, Texas-Arlington) and Kyle Mangas (G, Indiana Wesleyan) all have prior professional experience, whether it be in the G League, overseas or both.

“It’s always constantly about building relationships,” explained Peterson, who previously served as an assistant and the Director of Player Development on Hornets Head Coach Charles Lee’s staff for the past two years. “Shoot, even if you do have guys who are coming back, like life happens, changes happen, so we’re constantly taking the steps and going through the process, building our relationships. So, we’ve got a new group, but I’m excited about the group that we do have. I think they will continue to grow and blossom. They embody the Hornets DNA and Swarm DNA.”

Charlotte’s two first-round rookies – center Hannes Steinbach and point guard Christian Anderson Jr. – made their first G League assignments on Thursday morning before getting recalled back to the Hornets 24 hours later. One interesting fact is that two Swarm players – Armstrong and Carroll – each have quite the athletic pedigree. Armstrong’s father Darrell Armstrong spent 14 years in the NBA and won both the Sixth Man of the Year and Most Improved Player Award in 1999, while Carroll’s father Anthony Hargrove played defensive end in the NFL for seven seasons and was a Super Bowl XLIV champion with New Orleans in 2009. 

One of the trickiest dynamics for any G League head coach is figuring out how to properly balance player development with winning, two elements that are more intertwined than given credit for. Peterson plans to utilize many of the Hornets’ play calls, schemes and terminology in Greensboro, although player personnel will certainly have some influence on the team’s overall playstyle and identity.

“We’re going to play to our strengths,” stated Peterson. “I think that’s the beautiful thing we have with the structure of the Hornets is it’s a system, a structure that allows for guys to share, create and do different things. We’ll do that and implement a lot of the same principles and tactics, but again, we’ll play to our strengths, find ways to help guys and put them in the best spots possible. We’re going to try and get up and down the floor, play with great pace. We’ll play a brand of basketball that’s unselfish, that gets everybody involved, that’s still always based on competitiveness and energy.”

Friday’s opener also marks the beginning of the 2026-27 Tip-Off Tournament. All 31 G League teams have been regionally divided up into four different pods and will play their first 14 games exclusively against other teams in those pods. The four pod winners plus the next four teams with the highest winning percentage (regardless of region) will advance to the Championship round at the NBA G League Winner Showcase in Orlando in mid-December, while the non-qualifying teams will all play two consolation games at the event.

So, right away, there’s already something at stake for the Greensboro Swarm in tonight’s season opener, which can be viewed on the NBA App starting at 7 PM ET.  “I’m excited and again, just super pumped up about the group that we have that’s been here, been working, been consistent,” said Peterson. “That first [game] is an awesome opportunity and an awesome night. It’s ring night, so the group that won it last year, they’ll get honored, but it’s also a tremendous opportunity for us to kick start the season. I truly believe that the product will be good, and the fans will enjoy watching what we got going.”