Vicky Graff Photo
Kerr Kriisa didn’t take any time putting his name into the transfer portal.
The Kentucky guard became the first player to enter the portal on Monday after the team’s season ended following Friday night’s loss to Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament. Kriisa suffered a foot injury and spent most of the season on the bench after the injury against Gonzaga on Dec. 7 in Seattle.
Kriisa announced his departure on social media on Monday.
“To coach (Mark) Pope and the UK coaching staff — it has been an absolute dream to play for the University of Kentucky. Thank you for your continued support. To my teammates — I am so thankful for the relationships we’ve formed during my time at Kentucky, and I will keep those friendships for a lifetime. To BBN — your unending support of me and my team has been amazing.
“Playing at Rupp Arena in front of huge crowds has been a dream come true. I will always cherish my time in the Bluegrass State, and I wish Kentucky basketball all the best in the future.”
Before his injury, Kriisa played in nine games and averaged 4.4 points, 3.8 assists, and 17 minutes per contest.
Kriisa was available in the team’s locker room during the NCAA Tournament, but declined to discuss his future, but instead talked about his teammates. Kriisa most likely will play overseas next year.
In addition, graduate senior Lamont Butler also will be leaving the program, along with guard Jaxson Robinson have no college eligibility remaining.
Collin Chandler and Travis Perry gained valuable playing time this season and both are expected to be back next year. Incoming freshmen Jasper Johnson and Acaden Lewis are expected to contribute for the Wildcats in the backcourt next season.
11 Responses
Still don’t understand why he wouldn’t want to stay if he really was proud to wear the uniform and apparently was the biggest cheerleader. Maybe he just wanted to polish his resume a little more. BTW Big Z would be welcome back on my team. He only left because of allegiance to Cal and was misused by him for both years.
Z would be a perfect stretch 4 where he should have been playing all along. He improved immensely from year 1 under the same fraud of a coach. I think his junior year will see him be a double double machine. Otherwise, things seem kinda quiet in the portal.
There have been the rumors that Kriisa would not be at UK next season for quite a while but I assumed he would go pro overseas.
Hot air anytime nice things are said about how great it was to be at UK and then leave. Good bye and don’t look back. UK does not need any transfer who won’t even stay a 2nd year!
Is Big Z in the portal? He is one guy I really wanted to see return and one other (who became their anchor).
It would be tough to not follow a coach after just 2 season because those players are too young to really see the big picture – that they were trapped with a pseudo-coach who said nice things to them to woo them to big country.
Big Z may have been what UK needed to get past the S-16 and even to the FF. We will never know.
You don’t know the circumstances for his departure. I’m sure he could care less about you either.
Damn it’s a shame people talking about Cal still and he’s not our coach. Let it go folks. We have had 2 other coaches didn’t give us a ride at all. Sutton and Billy G.
He followed Cal to Arkansas because "Coach Cal wins Championships".
Past history Larry…hope those days are behind him. I think Z felt loyalty to Cal for bringing him to Uk and felt obligated to follow.
Coach Cal USED to win championships, now he is just a pimp for NBA wannabes.
He USED to have Championship players and stopped them from winning Inc Titlea – @ Memphis, UK 2010, UK 2011, UK 2015, UK 2015 & many more.
Davis, MKG, Miller, Lamb & co WON in 2012 IN SPITE OF THE FRAUD who caused UK to lose many other year
So the records give the fraud credit as the coach is ONE Title, but he nothing to do with it.
Kriisa wasnt a Kentucky caliber point guard and he can’t shoot the ball well enough to be a shooting guard. He is more along the lines of a Western Kentucky or Morehead state type of player. To me he had the worst defense on the team. I would have played anybody over him and I’m glad he’s not wasting another scholarship. Pope picked him up because he needed a backup point guard and didn’t trust the freshman to play the point. He knew he wouent get much playing time next year as a 6th year senior is why he left. Good riddance and good luck pal because your going to need it!