West Virginia transfer Kerr Kriisa has committed to Kentucky, he told ESPN on Wednesday.
The 6-foot-3 Estonian point guard averaged 11.0 points and 4.7 assists last season, shooting 42% for 3.
He spent the three previous seasons at Arizona, where he won a pair of Pac-12 championships and led the conference in assists. Kriisa originally committed to Bob Huggins last spring as part of a star-studded transfer class that ultimately fell apart when Huggins was arrested on charges of driving under the influence, leading to his resignation. West Virginia finished last in the Big 12 with a 9-23 record.
New Kentucky coach Mark Pope pursued Kriisa at BYU on two separate occasions, first flying to Lithuania in 2020 to attempt to secure his commitment out of high school, and then again offering him a scholarship when he left Arizona. The third time proved to be the charm.
Kriisa garnered significant experience at the FIBA EuroBasket in 2022 with the Estonian national team, competing against the likes of Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Lauri Markkanen. The 23-year old is one of the most tested point guards in college basketball after starting 93 games in the Big 12 and Pac-12.
Kriisa is the eighth player to join Pope’s roster since he became Kentucky’s head coach three weeks ago. He joins rising freshmen Collin Chandler and Travis Perry, sophomore Brandon Garrison, junior Otega Oweh and fifth-year seniors Koby Brea, Amari Williams and Andrew Carr.
Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft expert and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service utilized by NBA, NCAA and International teams.