Arizona freshman guard Kerr Kriisa will return to his home country of Estonia to play with the senior national team in two FIBA Eurobasket qualifying games at the end of November, the school announced Tuesday.
Kriisa has also not been cleared by the NCAA Eligibility Center, according to the school.
“Given the situation, this is a great opportunity for Kerr,” Arizona coach Sean Miller said. “We wish him the best of luck in the competition and look forward to his safe return to Arizona.”
Kriisa, one of the best European prospects entering college basketball this season, committed to Arizona back in April. He suited up for the Estonian senior national team last February, playing 18 minutes against Italy and racking up five assists in an 87-81 loss. Kriisa played for the Lithuanian club team Zalgiris last season, averaging 14.8 points and 6.0 assists.
The 6-foot-3 guard was also named MVP of the Adidas Next Generation Tournament Kaunas in 2019 after averaging 17.3 points and 4.7 assists in seven games.
Kriisa was expected to compete for minutes in Arizona’s backcourt behind Georgetown transfer James Akinjo, returning guard Jemarl Baker and Seattle graduate transfer Terrell Brown. Kriisa is also one of six international freshmen the Wildcats are welcoming into the program this season.