Kim Tirik began playing basketball on the playgrounds of Ambridge with her older brother and boys from the neighborhood.

Kim went on to excel in three sports at Ambridge High School. She was the starting shortstop for four years and garnered Section 2-AAA MVP awards for three years. She played on the tennis team for two years as the 1st and 2nd singles player, while going undefeated in match play. But Kim's love for the game of basketball was undeniable and was her future.

Kim was the starting point guard for four years and finished her career with 1,756 career points, which was second highest in Beaver County history for boys or girls in 1982. She averaged 20.6 points per game and was named 1st Team All-State her senior year. In addition, Kim was named to the Street and Smith Honorable Mention All-American team in 1982. Some of Kim's other accomplishments include: Section First Team in 1980, 1981, and 1982, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette WPIAL AAA Player of the Year in 1982, Pittsburgh Press Finest Five selection in 1981 and 1982, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Fabulous Five Selection in 1981 and 1982, Pittsburgh Press Finest Five selection in 1981 and 1982, and Beaver County Times Section 2-AAA MVP in 1981 and 1982. In 1994, Kim was inducted into the Ambridge Sports Hall of Fame.

Kim earned a four-year scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh, where she was the starting point guard from 1982 to 1986 and led her team to a Big East regular season championship in 1983-84. Kim ranks in the top ten in three statistical categories in Lady Panthers history: she is currently second in school history with 592 career assists, she is tied for first in single game assists with 16 assists versus West Virginia University in 1984, and she is tied for first with 186 assists during the 1983-84 season. Kim played defense, too, which is evident by her 170 career blocks, placing her seventh all-time in school history. Her quickness allowed her to amass 170 career steals, placing her at ninth all-time in the Lady Panthers record books. Kim was inducted into the Pittsburgh Basketball Club Hall of Fame in 2018.