by Alex Schwartz

Steve Alford may have landed his biggest recruit yet at New Mexico a few days ago. The Lobos picked up a verbal commitment from 6'11 center Alex Kirk '10 of Los Alamos (NM), who is ranked #110 in Northstar Basketball's Class of 2010 Terrific 125. The big man is just the 14th player on the list to pop to a school not in a BCS conference, and just the fifth to pick a non-BCS school besides Memphis, St. Joseph's, and Xavier. What makes it even bigger for Coach Alford is that it comes on the heels of fellow Mountain West school BYU getting a pledge from #104 ranked Kyle Collinsworth '10 of Provo (UT). The decision by Kirk was not unexpected and was actually correctly predicted by Northstar Basketball (3/6 on projections so far, with two of the incorrect predictions having the actual choice listed as either 2nd in Line or 3rd in Line).

Earlier today I had a chance to catch up with Kirk and discuss his decision to pick New Mexico. First off, how did he choose the Lobos? "They were just a good fit for me in that I was going to play early and they would develop me to help me get to The League [NBA]." The big man stated that his other finalists were "probably UConn, Arizona, [and] Maryland." Asked if he felt that he wanted to go to a high-major program, but that UNM was a better fit, Alex replied, "Yeah, well I think UNM has the atmosphere and the coaching to be there with high level teams and I just want to play and [at] all those school I thought I would play." The Land of Enchantment star was somewhat tempted to accept a high-major offer. "It was very close between Arizona and UNM. I knew I would have success at both places."

Another key factor for Kirk in his decision was the location of the school. "[That was] big time [part], so my dad, family, and friends could see me play, and I have tons of friends going to UNM this and next year." How did Alex decide that New Mexico was the right in-state program over New Mexico State? "Never was recruited by NMSU." Asked why that is, he responded, "Let's just leave it at NMSU didn't recruit me. I don't want to say anything bad."

Clearly getting Kirk was a major coup for Steve Alford and Co., but just how big of an impact does he think he can have? "I think if I work my hardest, and with the coaches developing me as a player and a person, I think I can have a big impact." He has already put in a lot of effort to get to where he is now, going from a relative unknown to a nationally regarded prospect over the spring and summer. Kirk credits that rise to three people in particular. "Houston Hoops' Hal Pastner [and] Marland Lowe [as well as] my dad, [Alan Kirk] working with me to get better each day." The big man joined the fold for the high-powered AAU squad "last fall" to "play for them during th spring and summer" on the circuit. Before taking his game over to UNM, Kirk has one thing that he wants to accomplish, listing it as both his team goal and personal goal. "State championship, for both [parts]. That's all I'm focused on."

New Mexico is not a state known for producing DI talent, especially players recruited at the high-major level, so Kirk is a bit of an anomaly. What does it mean to him to be the best player in the state and one of the ballers who will represent New Mexico at the next level? "It means a lot because I have grown up with all these kids that might not have the opportunities I have, so I have to do my best." At 6'11, if Kirk gives it his all in the Mountain West Conference, the Lobos just might have a chance to make some noise riding the play of their big man.

Note- photo is from http://scouthoops.scout.com/