Former DV hoopster arrested

By Brett Fera

Staff Writer

Former Desert Vista High School basketball player Xavier Kilby was arrested in Fort Collins, Colo., last week after he allegedly pointed a gun at a fellow basketball player and subsequently fired it into a couch, according to the Larimer County Sheriff’s office.

Kilby, a freshman basketball player at Colorado State University this past season, got into a dispute with a teammate after an argument about going to church, authorities said.

Kilby was released from jail Monday after posting a $20,000 personal recognizance bond. A court date is set for Monday, where Kilby faces a charge of felony menacing and a misdemeanor charge of prohibited use of a weapon.

The Rocky Mountain Collegian, the CSU student newspaper, reported this week that witnesses said Kilby and teammate Ronnie Aguilar got into an argument about attending church services. Witness Stephan Gilling told the Collegian that Aguilar suggested Kilby had not been raised right, leading to Kilby drawing the weapon and pointing it at Aguilar’s head before discharging it into a nearby sofa.

Kilby was suspended this week from the CSU men’s basketball team by new coach Tim Miles.

“Our expectations for the student-athletes in our program are that they are commendable citizens who are held in high regard,” Miles said in a released statement. “This type of behavior is neither acceptable nor tolerable. He will not be allowed to be a part of any team activities until further notice.”

Kilby led the Thunder to back-to-back state title game appearances in 2003 and 2004.

He was the subject of scrutiny during the 2003-04 school year after he missed hundreds of classes during his senior year at Desert Vista, yet remained on the basketball team and graduated.

Brett Fera can be reached at (480) 898-7912 or bfera@aztrib.com.