Recruiting report: Tyler Converse (2016)

<p><em>(Photo credit: Broomfield Enterprise)</em></p><p><strong>Tyler Converse</strong>, the 6-foot-2 guard with the perfect name for a high-scoring hooper, has never had much difficulty putting the ball in the basket.</p> <p>As a junior last season, Converse averaged 17.3 points per game to lead Legacy to the state playoffs. But as he prepared for a busy summer schedule with the Colorado Titans club team, Converse knew he had work to do on the defensive side of the ball if he were to develop into the kind of well-rounded player that would make him successful at the next level.</p> <p>“I really like the Titans program, and they taught me a lot,” Converse said. “I really think I got better at defense. The defensive schemes that they run taught me a lot more than I had learned at school or with other club teams. I really enjoyed that, and I really thought it helped me improve on defense.”</p> <p>Converse admits he would have trouble at times last season shutting down an opponent’s top scorer. It’s a role he says he relishes now after a summer with the Titans that helped him become a better one-on-one defender, mixing his talents with proper technique.</p> <p>“It’s just the way they teach it,” he said. “That’s really how we get most of our points on the Titans, is really pressuring and then getting up and down the court.”</p> <p>If Converse can indeed become a defensive stopper, he’ll only add to what has been an impressive career at Legacy. He is a strong outside shooter, who can play off the ball or create his own shot off the dribble.</p> <p>Converse is adept at using a shot fake to freeze defenders who are over-anxious to contend his prolific outside shot, and he’s crafty around the basket. He also shot 81 percent from the free-throw line last season.</p> <p>“I think I have the ability to create my own shot for myself, whether it’s pull-ups, step-backs, whatever it is,” he said. “I think I do a pretty good job of that. I think what also helps me is when you’re able to shoot and guys know you can shoot, you can give them a ball fake and go right by them and get to the hole. When you can shoot, it opens you up.”</p> <p>Converse is still weighing his college options. He’s had conversations with a number of Division III and Division II programs, and he says he hasn’t ruled out the junior-college route to give himself a chance to get stronger.</p> <p>“I think I could play anywhere from D-III to D-II and be an impact player,” he said. “I working on getting a lot stronger right now. I don’t think I’m growing much more, and to be able to play at the next level you need to be stronger, faster, quicker, be able to jump higher, stuff like that.”</p> <p>Converse, who is playing this fall with the North Metro Ballers, is eager for his senior season to start with Legacy. After getting a taste of the playoffs last season, he believes they are ready to take the next step with the bulk of the team returning.</p> <p>“I think we can make a run in the playoffs,” he said.</p>