WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue women's basketball head coach Katie Gearlds welcomed Anastacia Kirby to the Boilermaker family as the program's new director of operations.
"I'm so excited to have Kirb join our team," Gearlds said. "She was the consummate team player at Marian where we were a part of two nattys together. My proudest moment was watching her give the commencement speech at her graduation. There's no double in my mind she's going to help elevate our program while bringing that team-first championship mentality."
Kirby arrives in West Lafayette after serving in several roles in the athletics administration at Marian University and a championship playing career with the Knights.
"I am so excited for the opportunity to be a part of the Purdue women's basketball staff," Kirby said. "Katie was an amazing coach, and always emphasized the importance teamwork, so it'll be great to be back in that kind of environment as a part of her staff with her as my boss and mentor. A huge thank you to the Purdue family for welcoming me with open arms."
The native of Kokomo, Ind., worked as an athletic success coach with the Knights from 2018-22. Her duties involved class registration, academic guidance and assisting the Student-Athletic Advisory Committee. She also taught college readiness course for incoming students.
Kirby also served as an assistant director for annual giving and alumni engagement for the 2017-18 season at Marian.
Kirby played four seasons at Marian from 2013-17, playing 130 games with 63 starts. She played a major role in winning back-to-back NAIA National Championships and for Crossroads League titles for the Knights under Gearlds. She totaled 6.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 47.4% from the field and 45.7% from distance for her career. She was named All-Crossroads League honorable mention in 2017 as a senior.
A graduate of Kokomo High School, Kirby graduated with academic honors in 2013. She was twice named the team MVP and earned all-area first team honors as a junior and senior.