With most success stories, there is a pivotal moment or decision that has a dramatic impact on the outcome. Had things been different, the story doesn't have the same ending.
Thus is the case with 2020 UTC Athletics Hall of Fame Inductee Derrick Kirce.
After a standout prep career that included a state championship at Booker High School in Sarasota, Fla., Kirce joined the University of Georgia basketball program in 1986. He started several games as a freshman, but only played in eight contests as a sophomore the following season.
Questioning his love for the game, Kirce decided to give up basketball and return home to Sarasota.
"I wasn't going to play basketball anymore," stated Kirce when asked about how he ended up at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. "I had enrolled in a junior college back in my hometown.
"At some point I decided I wanted to play again, so I called one of the assistant coaches at Georgia (Roger Banks) who had worked with Coach Mack at Auburn. That was the original connection.
Kirce had 32 points and 12 boards in a 76-74 win over No. 10 ETSU as a senior in 1991.
"I came in for a visit and liked what I saw. I knew a guy (Darren Chandler) who was on the team who was from Florida and I liked it. I liked the city. I was a kid from Florida and looking at the mountains fascinated me at that time."
It was that choice and that call to Roger Banks that led to one of the most prolific two-year careers in UTC history.
Kirce was a two-time All-Southern Conference performer for the Mocs from 1990-91. His 1,113 career points are the second-most scored in a two-year period at UTC. He is the fastest in school history to 1,000 points, hitting that mark in just 45 games. His career 19.5 ppg average is the highest in school history and his 20.2 ppg in 1989-90 is the second-highest single-season average at Chattanooga.
"Sometimes you overrate redshirt guys because they are not held to the same standards as the guys you are trying to prepare for an upcoming game," stated former head coach Mack McCarthy. "But he was a man. He was so mature physically, and you could see him relax and enjoy getting back to playing every day during that redshirt season."
His passion for the game returned, and he unleashed it on the Southern Conference as a junior in the 1989-90 campaign.
"I fell back in love with basketball," added Kirce. "That year that I redshirted was Coach Mack's introduction to my entire skill set. I had the opportunity to get adjusted to campus, a new city and new guys, and I got to display my skills to everyone.
"By the time I became eligible my junior year, everyone one knew my potential. It was like letting a wild lion out of a cage."
He had some impressive nights for the Mocs over the next two years. Some of the more memorable ones include 23 points and 18 rebounds against Marshall, 30 points and 10 boards against Western Carolina and 32 points and 14 rebounds at The Citadel.
He also had a big game against Marshall with 23 points and 18 rebounds.
"I think he enjoyed our style of play, but he was ahead of his time," added McCarthy. "He was a position-less guy. He could literally play all five spots, especially in the SoCon where you don't have that many big guys. He was long and athletic, but he also had the offensive skills to play the 1, 2 or 3."
His versatility was on full display in one of the biggest wins of his career against 10th-ranked ETSU on Jan. 21, 1991. The Roundhouse was rocking that night when more than 10,000 fans saw Kirce lead the Mocs to a 76-74 win with 32 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two steals.
That win was pivotal in earning the Mocs a share of the Southern Conference regular season championship. It also chiseled his name alongside the greats in the lore of UTC basketball.
Next week, Kirce joins four others going into the UTC Athletics Hall of Fame. Like all Mocs fans, we are glad he decided to keep playing.
