Kia Converse's versatility as an athlete has certainly translated well into her coaching career. Now in her fourth season on the Lady Demon staff, Converse is proving to be a strong recruited, a confident tactician on the bench in game situations and a capable manager of various administrative roles, including the coordination of team travel.
She wss one of the state's most highly recruited volleyball standouts, receiving offers from LSU and Texas after earning state "Miss Volleyball" honors as a senior at Assumption High School near Baton Rouge. She chose to play basketball for Coach Smith and became a three-year All-Southland Conference and All-Louisiana selection for the Lady Demons.
Converse reigns as the SLC's all-time leader in 3-pointers (218), making 36 percent of her shots while posting career scoring average of 12.7 and averaging 5.9 rebounds in 115 games, including 86 starts. She had a single-game career best of 20 rebounds against league rival Louisiana-Monroe.
Her 1,464 points at NSU ranks 8th in school history and her 677 rebounds are ninth all-time. Northwestern won 86 of 115 games in her playing career, including the 1999 SLC title. She holds the school mark with 81 3-pointers (shooting 38.9 %) as a junior and ranked in the league's top five in scoring each of her last two years.
She and head coach Jennifer Graf are the only Lady Demon basketball players to win Southland Conference championship rings as a player and a coach.
In her three years as a coach, Northwestern has a 63-25 record, including a 47-11 showing in conference games. Meanwhile, she completed work on a master's degree that she was able to start after earning her undergraduate degree midway through her senior season as a player after being a Dean's List student.
Converse, nicknamed "Killer" for her deadeye 3-point shooting, has been a key player in the Lady Demons' community outreach programs and assists with fundraising and development activities. She also assists administratively each year with the annual Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame induction activities.
Her deep laugh and fun-loving demeanor make her a likely suspect in the event of any practical jokes on team trips.
She is the daughter of Clementine Converse, who has four other children - Terrie, Rhonda, Alverez and Kamela.
