Michelle Kirk acted as if Saturday’s women’s basketball win over Lafayette University was just any other game. However, she had just scored over 1,000 points in her career, the 12th AU women’s basketball student-athlete to hit the elite milestone. Kirk is a team player first and foremost.
“Obviously I’m happy about it, but we are 7-0 in leagues,” Kirk said. “[Our record] is a lot crazier, and I’m a lot more pumped about that.”
The junior from Painted Post, N.Y., entered Saturday’s game with 999 points, one point shy of the 1,000-point milestone. Solid, collapsing defense by the Lafayette Leopards deprived Kirk and her teammates of scoring opportunities for much of the first half. As a result, Kirk made contact with the basket for the first time with 1:54 to go in the first half, hitting a deep three. She finished out the game with nine points.
“She is a really talented player and a very opportunistic scorer,” AU Head Coach Matt Corkery said. “When our team is at its best on the offensive end, it’s a lot because of her being aggressive and taking good shoots.”
Kirk said her versatility and high shooting percentage come from hard work both during the season and the off-season.
As a freshman, Kirk did not receive as many minutes as she wanted. The experience prompted her to live on campus over the summer to grow as a player with the help of the team’s strength coach, Jason Riddell.
“I think that in a lot of cases, disappointment is the biggest motivator and it really motivated me my freshman year,” Kirk said. “I wasn’t happy with it, so it motivated me to just work all summer at my game. It wasn’t just minutes, it was how I played and I just wasn’t at that same level.”
Two years later, Kirk plays the role of team offensive leader and is looked to for consistent defense. Kirk said her teammates look to her to generate plays and scoring opportunities for others.
“It’s fun to play with her. We feed off each other well,” teammate Liz Leer said of Kirk. “To see her come out last year and this year and show what she can do and show what the Patriot League was missing her freshman year has been great.”
Also proud of Kirk are her parents, who make a five and a half hour trip from Painted Point to come to all of her games.
“They’re my biggest support system,” Kirk said. “They are my biggest fans.”
Now, halfway through conference play, with a 7-0 conference record, the AU women’s basketball team is playing with a target on its back. Kirk, with an average of 19.8 points per game and 1008 career points under her belt, is sure to face extra coverage.
Luckily Kirk, like many of her teammates, is an unselfish player, so there will always be someone open awaiting her pass.
You can reach this writer at sports@theeagleonline.com.
