Kirkland’s Greatest Victory

Senior Forward Armein Kirkland completed his forgettable career in grand fashion. In fact, I did not know that he had it in him. But he managed to destroy the Bearcats one last time and leave a lasting imprint on the 2005-06 Bearcat basketball season that will outlive his meager basketball accomplishments.

Kirkland’s tenure with the Bearcats has been a curious one stained with unfulfilled promise. A Texas product, Kirkland is a long 6’ 8” with large hands and larger strides. He gets up and down the court effortlessly and has great leaping ability. He has the quickness of a guard, with excellent lateral movement, and his ball handing is so adept that he has played point guard in prolonged stretches. He presents match up problems for every team for he is too swift for most forwards and too big for even taller guards. Kirkland’s court awareness is strengthened by his height advantage which allows him to see the court without distraction. His pinpoint passing skills are best displayed in traffic once he has penetrated the lane and elevated above his defender.

Kirkland looks like a young Scottie Pippen. He even wore Pippen’s #33. And considering his unique skills, there is no reason he should not be playing at that level on a consistent basis.

But Kirkland has not played like Pippen. In fact, the mere suggestion of that comparison is laughable. Kirkland was averaging a pedestrian 9.7 points and 3.4 rebounds before he ripped ligaments in his knee against Connecticut. Below average numbers for a Senior forward getting 28 minutes a contest. Putrid statistics when you factor in his NBA talent and physical advantage over all his opponents.

Kirkland faded in big games. Any time a good team put a solid, aggressive defender on him he would slink into the stands. Kirkland avoided contact like it was a dead animal in the road. Chest to chest defense ended his drives to the basket. He would settle on long range jump shots and essentially removed himself from the offense. Kirkland went 0 for 9 from the floor against Kentucky in last year’s 2nd round NCAA Tournament loss. All jump shots.

Kirkland’s psyche was fragile. You could see the wind suck out of his gut after missed jumpers. He let his scoring woes cripple the rest of his game. He refused to follow his shot or hustle for rebounds. He would pile up cheap reach-in fouls if he missed a foul shot. He would let smaller guards bully him to the basket. He would take stretches of the game off. Without instant success, in any given game, Kirkland would up and quit on his teammates.

Kirkland was either a coward or a complete fraud. And I don’t know which is worse.

Kirkland was headed for a disastrous season. He lost his starting job, and did not seem to care. He regained his spot for the DePaul game and responded with a 1 for 6 night totaling 2 points. 2 points from a Senior starting forward? Howls rained down from the rafters. Kirkland was ripped on Bearcat basketball websites while his brother defended him. Nothing could go right.

And then came Marquette. Kirkland rose from his own filth and delivered his best game of the season. In 37 minutes, he totaled 14 points on 5 of 9 shooting, snatched 5 rebounds and added 3 assists. More importantly, he contained Marquette forward Steve Novak who was coming off a 41-point explosion against UCONN. Novak ended with 17 points, but 9 of that came when the Bearcats switched to zone. It was an inspired effort.

And then came Connecticut. Armein found his range and injected three 3-pointers to keep the Bearcats in the game. He was already at 14 points in 12 minutes when he landed awkwardly in the lane on a fast break and concluded his days as a college basketball player. What appeared to be a routine ankle sprain soon began to take on the appearance of something serious. Bearcat coach Andy Kennedy, recipient of 4 knee surgeries himself, knew only too well after he heard the quick prognosis from the Connecticut trainers. Kirkland was done.

So here we are. 3 weeks removed from Kirkland’s final appearance in a Bearcat uniform. Gone but far from forgotten. Kirkland’s 49 minutes of brilliant basketball have turned him into a martyr. What he could have never accomplished on the hard wood, he has done sitting in the stands with crutches and a knee brace. He has become legend.

Kirkland’s injury has become the turning point of the season. Every announcer refers to it and the 10-game winning streak the Cats were riding prior to knee bending in the wrong direction. Without a hint of irony, generic announcers are indirectly accrediting Kirkland for Cincinnati’s 13-2 start to the season. His face fills the screen, now hobbled and in street clothes. He was the hero. The glue. The straw that stirred the drink. This prevailing theme has been hammered into our skulls so much this January that Bearcat fans are starting to believe it. All of Kirkland’s sins have been forgiven. We throw our hands up now in frustration and wonder ‘if we only had #33!”

Even Kennedy has referred to this period of the season as ‘After Armein’. He’s become a basketball deity. The bridge between mediocrity and Final Four dreams.

I ask you, for one moment, to remember. REMEMBER. Remember Kirkland’s sporadic defensive effort. Remember his low rebound numbers despite being one of the tallest men on the team. Remember him settling for 18-foot fade-away jumpers against 6’ 4” small forwards. Remember his eyes glazing over in spotlight games. Remember him disappearing against tough opponents.

The Bearcats might have beat Xavier with Armein Kirkland. They still get smashed by Syracuse, Louisville and Georgetown. He would not have made the difference. The Cats are 15-6 and still fighting for their tournament life.
However, I cannot prove that. And that is the beauty of Kirkland’s injury. My hat is off to him. He always found new and interesting ways to kill the Bearcats on the court, but this one tops them all. He managed to weaken an already thin team and become a saint in the process. Congratulations, Armein Kirkland. You win.