Early Monday, the news broke that Augusta University’s starting forward, Ja’Queze Kirby, would not return for his final year of eligibility.
The senior forward had been a member of the AU men’s basketball for the last three seasons, including being a part of the Jaguars’ 2021-22 team that played for a NCAA Division II national title.
Kirby was the last active player from the national runner-up team that appeared in a game this past season. Demitri Gardner is the only other, but redshirted that season.
This situation is a little bit different than most unexpected moves, as Kirby graduated in the spring and just decided to come back to play basketball before he was faced with tragedy.
Hurricane Helene impact
On Sept. 27, Hurricane Helene swept through the state of Georgia, and Kirby’s hometown, Hazlehurst, was greatly impacted. Shortly after, he dealt with a death in his family.
Since then, he has not reported to practice, and notified head coach Dip Metress and his staff that he had changed his mind and decided to not come back at all.
“Realistically, we just move on without him,” said Metress.
As simple as that may sound, it isn’t going to be near as easy to do so.
Kirby was a veteran player — the team’s second leading scorer last season averaging 14 points per game — who carved out a reputation as a community favorite as well as a locker room leader. But when you look at how hard it is going to be to replace him statistically, that’s when it really hurts.
In three seasons with Augusta, he played in 94 games, missing only four, and he shot the ball at a 48-percent clip on 833 shots.
He brought down 565 rebounds in his career, good enough for the 18th most in program’s history. He also finished with the 15th most 3-pointers made with 143. Last year, the 6-foot-6 forward was also second on the team in rebounds and assists.
Jags still have depth
So, as you can tell, it may take the Jaguars a bit to get their feet under them, losing such a key piece to their team, but they will certainly be ready to roll when it’s time.
The silver lining in this, if there is one, is the fact that Kirby hadn’t practiced with the team yet during this offseason and preseason, so Metress says he and his staff won’t see much of a break in established team chemistry.
“If there is a good way for this to happen, this is it,” Metress said. “The worst thing that could happen is losing a player after you’ve begun playing, much like with injuries.”
Even without Kirby, this Jaguar team has plenty of depth which means multiple players will be counted on to step up and fill Kirby’s void. Players such as the aforementioned Gardner come to mind, as he’s the team’s leading scorer from a season ago.
AU will play its first exhibition game on Oct. 30 at Clemson at 7 p.m.
