There's no need in delaying putting this name out there any longer, we all knew it was coming eventually. Whether we are fans of the idea or not, chances are that Scott Stricklin and the firm MSU has hired to help handle the men's basketball head coaching search, Parker Executive Search, will take a look at former MSU assistant and current Georgetown assistant coach Robert Kirby.
Kirby, as many Bulldog fans know, was a 12 year Bulldog assistant coach under Rick Stansbury before leaving to take a similar position with John Thompson III at Georgetown in 2010. Robert is known as an excellent recruiter (much like Stansbury was), and was wooed away by Georgetown to do such a thing for the Hoyas. Some have also speculated that he did much of the x's and o's coaching under Stansbury during his previous tenure at MSU, and was a vital part of the bulldog's success during that time period.
Prior to his 12 year run as an assistant under Rick Stansbury, Kirby was a University of Houston assistant coach from 1994-98. Prior to that, he was an MSU assistant under Richard Williams from 1990-93.
Kirby played his college ball at UT-Pan American, and is a native of Memphis, Tennessee.
Many would think Kirby would be an obvious choice for candidate at MSU, as he is more than familiar with the university and is from the area himself. However the biggest knock on Kirby remains that he has ZERO head coaching experience, and MSU may be taking a risk by being the first one to give him that chance. Of course, many will point to the fact that Rick Stansbury had zero head coaching experience when he took over, and he was successful.
Some would also rather shy away from Kirby because of his obvious ties to the Stansbury, as many want a fresh approach to the search. I think the best comparison is that he would be like hiring Tommy Raffo after Polk left.
Whether you feel like he's a good candidate or not, chances are we will see Robert Kirby's name come up at some point during the coaching search process.