2012 Basketball Media Day: Sophomore forward Christian Kirk
After a solid summer and heavy off-season work regimen, Kirk looks poised and ready to be a major contributor for the Bears this winter ... He averaged 13.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game on the four-game Costa Rica summer tour, while shooting .667 (22-for-33) from the field and scoring a team-high 53 points.
2011-12 Finished the year one rebound shy of 100 and was sixth on the team in rebounding (3.2), despite averaging just 14.2 minutes per game ... Second on the team in field goal percentage (.500) and dunks (6) ... Started 14 games as a true freshman, which tied for fifth on the club ... Was 2-for-2 from the field with a dunk in his MVC Tournament debut vs. Evansville (3/2/12) ... Started 13-of-18 MVC games ... Played 23 minutes at Evansville (2/25/12) in season finale with first career blocked shot ... Had a pair of dunks and two rebounds against Old Dominion (2/18/12) on ESPNU ... Logged 10 minutes with three FGA at No. 24 Wichita State (2/15/12) ... Put in 13 minutes in home win over Bradley (2/12/12) with 3 reboundes ... Returned to starting lineup in win at SIU (2/8/12) with 4 boards and 4 points on 2-for-2 shooting effort ... Had streak of 9 straight starts snapped at Drake (2/4/12) but posted 9 points and 6 boards in a 26-minute stint off the bench in the road win ... Had 4 points in 6 minutes in start against Wichita State (2/1/12) ... Had 4 points and 4 boards in home win over UNI (1/28/12) ... Came just short of a double-double at Illinois State (1/25/12) with 11 points and 9 boards in a starting role ... Started sixth straight game in win at Bradley (1/21/12) and drew pivotal charge in the final minute ... Posted 5 boards and 6 points in one-point loss to No. 18 Creighton (1/18/12) ... Led Bears with 9 rebounds and had 7 points in OT loss vs. Evansville (1/15/12) ... Posted game-high and career-high 10 rebounds with 27 minutes in second straight start in win over SIU (1/10/12) ... Made first career start in win at Indiana State (1/7/12) and finished 2-for-3 from the field for 4 points and 3 rebounds ... Scored 9 first-half points on a 4-for-6 shooting effort with a career-high 24 minutes in home loss to Illinois State (1/4/12) ... Had a pair of rebounds against Drake (12/31/11) ... Snagged 3 rebounds in win at No. 19 Creighton (12/28/11) ... Had a dunk and a three-point play vs. St. Marys (12/23/11) in Las Vegas Classic ... Posted a pair of rebounds in OT loss to West Virginia (12/22/11) in Vegas ... Saw 21 minutes and shared team-high scoring honors with 13 points and 5 rebounds on 5-of-10 shooting effort in home win over TAMU-CC (12/19/11) ... Scored 6 points on 3-for-4 shooting effort and snagged 4 boards in 13 minutes off the bench against Kennesaw State (12/17/11) ... Earned 7 minutes at New Mexico (12/3/11), collecting his first career dunk ... Brought 7 strong minutes off the bench at ORU (11/30/11), going 2-for-2 from the field with a pair of clutch buckets ... Recorded first steal and tacked on another rebound and his third assist in as many games in win over Tulsa (11/26/11) ... Had a solid effort against Emporia State (11/19/11) with 5 points and a 3-for-4 performance at the line ... Missed the Arkansas State game (11/15/11) after recovering from flu-like symptoms ... Played 8 minutes in win at Nevada with a pair of rebounds and his first career assist (11/11/11) ... Averaged 8.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in three preseason exhibition outings.
High School Played AAU ball for KC Pump and Run and coach L.J. Goolsby ... Was ranked as Missouri's No. 3 senior by ESPN.com and as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com and ESPN.com ... ESPN also tabbed him as the No. 40 forward in the class of 2011 ... Noted for his 40-inch vertical ... Was not eligible for varsity competition as a senior in 2010-11 for coach Dick Rippee at Kickapoo High in Springfield due to an eligibility dispute after transferring from St. Charles (Mo.) West High ... Played just one JV game, on senior night, and had five dunks, 18 points and 9 rebounds in limited minutes ... He competed his junior and sophomore seasons at St. Charles West High ... In 2009-10, he scored 17.9 points per game at SCW with 8.8 rebounds, 114 assists, 49 blocks and 31 steals for coach Terry Hollander, while leading the Warriors to a 15-11 season and conference title ... Also made 59 percent of his field goals as a junior while earning all-conference, conference MVP and academic all-conference distinction ... Averaged 14.9 points and 5.9 rebounds as a sophomore as part of a 26-4 squad that won the Class 5 district and advanced to the state quarterfinals ... Shot at a 61-percent clip in 2007-08 with 24 blocks, 23 steals and 53 assists ... Also earned first-team all-district, all-conference and academic all-conference honors ... Also was a standout high jumper at St. Charles West ... Played his freshman season at Kickapoo for coach Roy Green where he lettered as a Chiefs' freshman sensation, earning academic all-conference honors ... Signed with Missouri State on Nov. 10, 2010.
Personal Christian Clay Kirk was born 9/7/92 in Atlanta, Ga. ... Son of Joe and Karen Kirk of Springfield, Mo. ... Has a sister, Hannah, and brother Kyle, who both played at Missouri State ... Hannah played 92 games for the Lady Bears from 2002-06, starting 32, and racked up 270 points and 276 rebounds ... Majoring in Information Technology and minoring in Computer Science ... Chose Missouri State over Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Saint Louis and Southern Illinois.
