Brian Fish is rolling the dice on Devin Kirby. With Kirby’s verbal commitment to Montana State on Tuesday evening, at least the first step of the gamble has paid off. Now Kirby will have to prove he can come back from a devastating setback to fulfill Montana State’s hope for the athletic forward.
Kirby, a 6-foot-11 forward out of Basha High in Chandler, Arizona, is coming off a severe injury as a junior that caused many schools hesitate. Fish remained loyal, Kirby said, granting the athletic frontcourt player a chance to sign during the early period. Most of the schools with previous interest wanted to see Kirby play as a senior this winter before granting a solid offer.
At 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Kirby announced his verbal commitment to Fish and the Bobcats on Twitter. Kirby’s words:
“It took me a while to think but when it comes to a decision as big as your future you need to be certain about it. A lot has happened this past year, that just shows you how crazy life is. With the catastrophic injury that occurred to me and the passing of my grandmother my family has been through a lot. It made me realize who was there for me, it made me realize how shady/real people can be, and the harsh reality of the recruiting process. Some gave up on me, but there wre some thathad the faith to stick by me through thick and thin. Loyalty is huge to me. People who don’t give up on you just because things are a little rough. I’m a firm believe of everything happening for a reason. God always has a purpose and he always has a plan. Although you may not get it at the moment you’ll understand it in the long run, and that’s what I”ve realized. So I’m going to just end with this; For people that slept and passed up on me all I have to say is watch out these next couple of years. It is an honor and I’m blessed to say that I’ve found the perfect fit, and I have committed to play basketball at Montana State University. I’m becoming a Bobcat.”
Kirby had a promising junior season cut short abruptly last December. He spent almost two months in a wheelchair after dislocating both knees and fracturing the tibias in both legs. Kirby suffered the injury attempting and alley-oop dunk against Gilbert Perry High in the first quarter of the championship game at the McClintock Holiday Basketball Shootout.
“I went up for a lob,” Kirby told AZCentral.com in January. “He got beat. As I was going up, I felt pushed in the back. My momentum landed me on my knees. I don’t know if I was pushed or not, but I felt it in the back.”
The lanky teenager found himself bed ridden when he wasn’t pushing himself around in a wheelchair. His story was picked up by USA Today. He received clearance to return to the court on July 16. He has been playing competitively for the AZ Magic, his Phoenix-area club team. He is on a minute limit but should return to full action after Christmas. A source close to the situation confirmed Kirby has been examined by Montana State doctors and they attribute the injury to open growth plates and his chance of reinjuring himself is low.
“My family, my supporters, just how much they had to give up to take care of me…I was bed ridden for two months, couldn’t walk,” Kirby said. “They sacrificed a lot. I appreciate everything they’ve done, my mom in particular. She’s sacrificed a lot being a single mom trying to raise her boys. A lot of hard work, a lot of physical therapy to just to be able to play again has been great because I finally see all my hard work paying off.”
As a 6-foot-8 sophomore, Kirby started getting substantial hype. He received interest from Wake Forest of the ACC, Indiana of the Big Ten, Arizona State of the Pac 12 and Baylor of the Big XII. He held an offer from San Diego. Arizona Preps named him the top prospect in the state of Arizona for the Class of 2016. His brother, Maurice, came out of Basha High to earn a scholarship to Virginia Tech. He is currently playing at Loyola-Chicago, who also offered Devin.
Kirby was being touted as a player with good ball skills, athleticism and a potential to grow even taller than his sophomore 6-foot-8 height. By last winter, his growth spurt was in full force. He measured in at 6-foot-10 and some change during his official visit to MSU earlier this month. But when the devastating injury occurred, most schools backed off. Montana State’s willingness to stick with him was a big selling point for Kirby.
“Loyalty is huge for me,” Kirby said. “I’m extremely grateful for the opportunities that I get. Everyone dropped off when I got hurt, but as soon as they heard I could play, they tried to hop right back on and I just can’t handle that wishy washy stuff. When they called and I saw how dedicated they were to me to get me back to 100 percent, that really stuck out to me.
“They made me feel at home and from the moment they started recruiting me, they were on there hard and I’ll never forget that first call with Fish, how fired up and excited he was to recruit me and get to know me and stuff like that. That’s what stuck out to me the most: a coaching staff that really wants you and wants to develop you and see you grow at their program. I see his vision clearly and I want to be a part of that vision and that success in the future.”
Kirby said his visit to Bozeman was “better than I ever could’ve expected”, adding that Montana defied the stereotypical image he had of it in his head. Instead, he said Bozeman reminded him of Flagstaff, the town Kirby grew up in.
“This is a huge weight off of my shoulders to make this decision,” Kirby said. “It’s a big decision for my future. It’s the perfect fit and that makes it even more satisfying. I picked the right school, the right staff and the right players to be around for the next four or five years.”
