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LSU assistant Robert Kirby resigns to join Memphis

Robert Kirby

After spending one year on the coaching staff at LSU, long-time assistant Robert Kirby is once again leaving the SEC, this time to join Josh Pastner and the Memphis Tigers.

Jim Kleinpeter of The Times-Picayune reports that the first-year LSU assistant resigned as an assistant coach on Monday night in order to take a similar position at Memphis. Kirby’s information has already been removed from the LSU coaching staff page.

“I totally enjoyed my year here at LSU,” Kirby told NOLA.com. “It was very educational as well as enjoyable with the players that we had here to work with as well as the coaching staff. Baton Rouge and the LSU family is a great family and they welcomed me with open arms and I will never forget them. I will never forget the times I had here and the people I worked with. They were just outstanding.”

Kirby has spent the majority of his career -- through two different stints -- with Mississippi State. Before joining Johnny Jones’ coaching staff, Kirby spent two years with John Thompson III at Georgetown.

Kirby’s hiring is waiting approval of the University and Tennessee State Board of Regents. If that goes through, Pastner adds one of the top assistant coaches in the country, who has 28 years of experience. Kirby will also help on the recruiting trail, being named one of the top 25 recruiters by Rivals.com. Adding a Memphis native will help add to Pastner’s success recruiting in the Bluff City.

“We’re excited to have Coach (Robert) Kirby join our staff,” Pastner said in a school statement. “He’s one of the elite coaches in the country in both recruiting and on-the-floor coaching. He’ll be great with our guys in establishing relationships with them.

“Coach Kirby is also from Memphis, and it’s good to get him back home. We’re honored that he’s a part of our staff.”

The Tigers finished 31-5 (16-0 Conference USA), ending the 2012-2013 campaign with a 70-48 loss to Michigan State in the third round of the NCAA tournament. Memphis will be playing in the American Athletic Conference this season.

Terrence is also the lead writer at NEHoopNews.com and can be followed on Twitter: @terrence_payne