Former Transfer Followed Success Back to UM
by Eric Todoroff, Miami communications student assistant
In basketball, when faced with adversity there are predetermined philosophies to properly react to situations providing players with options to be successful. But, outside the perimeter of a basketball court, achieving success is more complicated than simply making free throws to seal a victory.
For Hurricanes forward Donnavan Kirk, his path to success paved a way for him to the University of Miami, along with a return to Coral Gables two years later.
A native of Pontiac, Mich., a Detroit suburb roughly 30 minutes from the city, Kirk’s maiden trip to Miami was necessary for him to mature and abandon the comfort of Michigan, choosing to become a Hurricane over the home-state Spartans.
“One thing that really enticed me was that I really wanted to be away from my family and be able to grow up some more,” Kirk explained. “There was another part of me that wanted to merge into a different environment and learn about it, and that pulled me to coming here [University of Miami].”
Despite battling injuries and only seeing action in four games as a freshman, Kirk earned the team’s Iron Man Award for his commitment in the classroom, locker room and weight room.
Kirk played in 13 games and started three the following season as a redshirt freshman, but suddenly transferred to DePaul University in Chicago. His release was granted on Dec. 29, 2010. The abrupt switch was spurred by a visit home to Pontiac over winter break that year.
“I went home to visit and saw my mom was flustered with my grandfather getting sick,” Kirk said. “I felt that the things were going on at home and the situation here—I wasn’t playing that much and I didn’t know what kind of purpose I was to have basketball wise.”
Transferring to DePaul provided Kirk with two opportunities: capitalize on more playing time and the chance to be closer to home and his family. Kirk described minimizing the distance between he and his family as what pushed him over the edge to make the difficult decision.
“That’s big, to switch and go to a different school during the middle of the year,” Kirk said, understanding the gravity of his choice. “That’s not something you always want to do because you don’t know what kind of situation you’ll be going to.”
After two seasons at DePaul and earning his undergraduate degree in marketing, Kirk still had one year remaining of eligibility. Another opportunity to continue playing basketball delivered the chance for him to attend graduate school and earn a master’s degree.
Kirk communicated with a number of schools, including Gonzaga and Colorado State, but ultimately chose to return to where he began his college career four years earlier: the University of Miami. Although Kirk’s familiarity with UM’s basketball program factored into his conclusion, it was the capability of finishing a master’s degree within the one year he would have at Miami that guided him back.
“I knew I only had one year,” said Kirk. “Through making a decision I knew that UM had the Community of Social Change program which allows me to complete the master’s degree within the year.”
On the court, a new Hurricane coaching staff had taken over the reigns of the program, nevertheless, Kirk was still comfortable with returning to Coral Gables.
“I sent my release form and Coach Larrañaga called me and told me they had a scholarship for me,” Kirk said. “I thought it was a good situation because when you transfer, you don’t know anybody, but I already knew the guys and the area. It wouldn’t be a big adjustment.”
The adjustment on the court has been seamless for Kirk. He is one of only two Canes to start in all 26 games this season, averaging 28.6 minutes per game while leading the team with 45 blocks.
When he’s not practicing for Miami’s next ACC opponent or in the classroom, the 6-foot-9-inch Hurricane forward can be found towering over children he volunteers with.
Kirk meshes basketball and life skills in his lessons, hoping the kids improve individually, as he once did when first he moved away from Pontiac. This is a philosophy Kirk believes he shares with his new head coach.
“I think it’s similar to Coach Larrañaga’s five-minute drill,” Kirk pointed out. “You can do it on your own and grade yourself. I tell the kids to pick their favorite spot and shoot for the five minutes every day.”
Kirk explained that he only changes the children’s techniques if he sees a flaw. Other than that, he allows them to get better on their own, understanding it takes time and practice.
“They’ve got to be able to play on their own, you can’t help them on the court,” he said. “They’ve got to be able to fight on their own.”
Teaching basketball has translated into Kirk’s game as well; he must practice what he preaches. As he bluntly put it: “I need to be on my game and not just say it. I have to do it.”
Spending nearly five years without his mother’s cooking, Kirk has extended his game into the culinary arts. He manages to fit his frame into the kitchen, whipping together gourmet meals. Whenever Kirk has extra time he’ll go to Publix to grab groceries and “just experiment.”
“I figured out everything on my own. You can just Google a recipe, figure out what tastes good and start whipping it up,” Kirk said proudly. But, the chicken piccata he bragged about making the night before, he admitted his mom taught him how to make it.
Cooking is the lone sitaution in which Donnavan Kirk can ease off and not worry about a predetermined plan for success—there are not any 7-foot defenders preventing him from reaching the stove to boil water and cook pasta.
Donnavan Kirk has piloted the path to success from Michigan to Chicago and to Miami more than once. But, the independence he has developed has him prepared for the next destination, although he might take pit stops at cookeries along the way.
