LaFAYETTE, Ga. — Tommy Swanson has one regret about taking the LaFayette High School boys’ basketball coaching job this year.
He won’t have Tyler Burse and his regular double-double to rely on after this season.
Swanson knew the 6-foot-5 senior forward had the raw talent to be one of the best players in Region 6-AAA, but the veteran coach has been impressed with the all-star’s all-around game. The three-year starter, who also excelled at receiver for the football team, has paced the surprising Ramblers to a 13-6 record by scoring 26 points and pulling down 13 rebounds a game. He’s twice scored 37 points, had 23 in one half and has worked as hard on the defensive end as he does with the ball.
“He’s had an excellent year,” Swanson said. “If he’s not the best player in the region, he’s at least one of the best in the area. He’s played hard on both ends of the floor. When he gets his mind to rebound, he can take over a game at that end.
“He gets 20 (points) really without a lot of effort because he can score inside and outside. Tyler’s got the most talent of any player I’ve coached. He’s grown up a lot and taken more of a leadership role.”
Another part of Burse’s game, Swanson said, has allowed the player to begin to realize his potential. In the past it wasn’t uncommon to see Burse become frustrated with the defensive attention teams gave him. With a very young team around him, he has found a way to channel his frustration into helping his teammates.
“He regularly draws everybody’s double team, and that’s tough on him,” Swanson said. “It’s hard. People don’t realize how difficult that is when every team focuses on him. He’s been able to hold his emotions in better, which is something in the past which has gotten him in trouble.”
Burse expects to play in college and realizes keeping his head in hotly contested games will be noticed. But he doesn’t compromise the excitement he takes with him on the court.
“Coach Swanson has given us a lot more discipline, which is something we didn’t have last year,” said Burse, who is being recruited by Lincoln Memorial University and Shorter College, among others. “I know I have to watch what I say. It’s a game and you’re going to get emotional, but that’s part of who I am.
“It’s all about maturity. I know when I get into college they won’t put up with it. I have to learn how to deal with the hard times.”
It also will help him get noticed if the Ramblers can reach the state tournament. In a surprisingly competitive 6-AAA, any of the top four teams from the north subregion — Ringgold, LaFayette, Ridgeland and Heritage — could make the field. It’s a goal Burse is almost obsessed with.
“A state berth would mean a lot to me,” he said. “I get up in the morning and that’s all I think about, getting my team there. We have a young team, but there is a lot of talent. We can get to the second round of the state tournament, but first I want to win the region.”
That starts with tonight’s game with rival Ridgeland, the reigning subregion champs who have had the Ramblers’ number in recent years. Getting past the Panthers would, according to Burse, do wonders for his team.
“We want to get in the state tournament — that’s our main goal — but I’d also like to see us beat Ridgeland,” Burse said, a sly grin spreading across his face. “They’ve always been our big rivals, but we haven’t beat them since the ninth grade. It would mean so much to the young guys and give us a lot of confidence.”