Fighting Gobbler
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Maurice Kirby is leaving Virginia Tech

By Tim Thomas

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Feb 15, 2014; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies forward Maurice Kirby (21) and forward Greg Donlon (14) react on the bench to the dunk by forward Trevor Thompson (32) against the Miami Hurricanes in the second half at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Michael Shroyer-USA TODAY Sports

The Virginia Tech Hokies have seen a lot of turnover recently as the men’s basketball change started with the hiring of Buzz Williams as the next head coach in what was the move of the offseason. The Hokies have poached a huge part of Buzz Williams’s staff at Virginia Tech and has also gained two commits in 4-star guard Ahmed Hill and 3-star center Satchel Pierce who were both previously committed to Marquette. Of course, the Hokies did lose talented freshman big man Trevor Thompson who decided to transfer from Virginia Tech to Ohio State.

News broke today that Trevor Thompson would not be the only player to transfer away as forward Maurice Kirby made the decision to leave the program. Kirby was redshirted this past year but the departure of Thompson seemed to open the door for Kirby to potentially get some playing time in the 2014-2015 season. However, the arrival of Satchel Pierce likely meant that Maurice Kirby would be very far down the depth chart so the decision to transfer seems to make the most sense for him.

For the Hokies, the loss of Maurice Kirby will not be much of an issue as the frontcourt is loaded with depth as C.J. Barksdale, Christian Beyer, Marshall Wood, Satchel Pierce, and Greg Donlon will all be battling for playing time next to Joey Van Zegeren in the frontcourt. Kirby did have som versatility to play center but he was undersized to play that position so he wouldn’t exactly fit Buzz Williams’s ideal of having versatile players. This is best for both sides as it opens up a scholarship for Buzz Williams and allows Kirby to go to a program where he can get playing time.

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