The first non-eligibility related domino to fall for Kentucky came on Monday when veteran point guard Kerr Kriisa announced his intentions to re-enter the transfer portal.
He released a statement online when he made his decision public on Monday morning.
“I will always cherish my time in the Bluegrass State, and I wish Kentucky basketball all the best in the future,” he wrote.
Kriisa, after receiving a medical redshirt, will have one year of eligibility remaining to play his sixth season of college basketball.
Hailing from Tartu, Estonia, Kriisa was UK’s back-up point guard for the first half of the season before suffering a season-ending foot injury in December.
Prior to Kentucky, Kriisa had played ball for Arizona (three seasons) and West Virginia (one season) before joining UK Head Coach Mark Pope in Lexington, committing the same day as sharpshooter Koby Brea.
Prior to his injury, Kriisa backed up veteran point guard Lamont Butler and averaged 4.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per night in 17.3 minutes on the court.
While his point-total peaked against Georgia State on Nov. 29 (nine points), Kriisa is best remembered for his showing against Gonzaga in what would be his final game in Lexington.
Scoring eight points with two made 3-pointers, Kriisa broke his foot while taking the ball up the court, resulting in a turnover. Despite this, Kriisa still rushed down the court to contest the fast-break opportunity before being assisted off the court due to his injury.
Because of the intentions to pursue a medical redshirt, Kriisa was not honored on UK’s senior day due to Pope’s confidence that his college career was not over. The bond the Estonian had with his head coach is something he hopes to be remembered for in Lexington.
“We were never supposed to be here,” Kriisa said after UK’s loss to Tennessee in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. “Coach took a chance on us.”
Kriisa was continuously vague in discussing his future when asked following UK’s tournament loss.
“My focus is 100% this year,” Kriisa said. “I don’t know nothing about next year. I don’t even know if I come back to college. I don’t know anything, all I know is that my foot wasn’t good enough to play. I’ll focus on that stuff later.”
The veteran had also previously said, “I don’t want to talk about next year because it doesn’t matter right now.” He also stated he wasn’t sure if he even wanted to do another three months of college in general.
It is to be seen where Kriisa ends up for his final year of eligibility.
