Coach Gross agrees , “ The bigger the game , the better he plays . The moment is never too big for him . He ’ s so calm , he doesn ’ t get rattled . He takes hard coaching and moves on . His attitude never changes and he doesn ’ t get down on himself . He is mentally tough and confident without being cocky .”
Kirby has also taken more of a leadership role during his senior seasons . “ In golf , I tried to push the juniors and sophomores in practice . If they could beat me in practice , they knew they could beat anyone else they faced ,” he explained . “ In basketball , we have a lot of sophomores , and they need someone to show them that it is possible . I try to push them in practice and show them confidence to prepare them for the competition they ’ ll see .”
Cole has already one of the most decorated high school golf careers in the state , and he hopes to use the same attributes that led him and his teammates to back to back state championships to bring Brookland a second state title under coach Bobby Gross . It won ’ t be easy with teams such as Little Rock Christian and Farmington returning key pieces from last year , but if Bearcat fans know anything , it is that they have a leader in Cole Kirby that will not shy away from the challenge . In fact , the bigger the challenge , the better Kirby performs . If the Brookland Bearcats can follow Kirby ’ s lead , he can help clear more space in an already loaded trophy case .