Kerr Kriisa brought an 'infusion of energy' to his Kentucky debut

After missing the first exhibition due to a hamstring injury, fifth-year guard Kerr Kriisa made his Kentucky debut in preseason game number two. The result was a 98-67 win over Minnesota State, the defending Division II national champions. And it didn’t take long to notice he was out there once he finally stepped onto the floor for the first time as a Wildcat and didn’t stop moving until he checked out.

“He’s such an infusion of energy, right? Which is such a beautiful thing,” Head coach Mark Pope said of Kriisa postgame. “He’s going to be really fun and he’s really dangerous. As we feel that space more, it’s going to be fun. It was really important to get him on the court tonight so he can just be out there under the lights.”

Kriisa’s first (unofficial) Kentucky game wasn’t anything too spectacular, but it gave us a good idea of what the offense might look like when he steps in for (or alongside) Lamont Butler in the backcourt. Kriisa finished with three points (1-4 3PT), six assists, four rebounds, and zero turnovers in 16 minutes of action.

Even with the No. 77 on his back and a white headband on his noggin, his on-court impact stood out the most.

From the moment Minnesota State made a bucket, Kriisa was pulling the ball out from the net and sparking offense the other way. He tossed out a couple of gorgeous no-look passes that resulted in a Jaxson Robinson three-pointer and an Andrew Carr dunk. Only one of his four three-pointers went through, but he looked comfortable firing them off.

No look pass from @KerrKriisa 👀, oh and ANOTHER @apc_andrew SLAM

📺 – @SECNetwork+ pic.twitter.com/m2OLKw44BT

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) October 30, 2024

“It’s great having Kerr. His pace is crazy, just getting up and down the floor,” Robinson said. “He was flying. It’s a different look when Lamont’s in the game and then when Kerr’s in the game. It’s a blessing to have someone that shares the ball like that who can shoot it.”

Last season at West Virginia, Kriisa had a career year with the Mountaineers. The 6-foot-3 Estonian averaged 11 points and 4.7 rebounds per outing while shooting 42.4 percent from long range. So what we saw against Minnesota State isn’t too far off from what the expectations (outside of a missed three-pointer or two) were when he arrived in Lexington via the transfer portal over the summer.

But other than his counting stats, Kriisa brings life to his teammates both on the floor and on the bench. His playstyle and personality are infectious. It makes playing basketball with him that much more enjoyable.

“He’s an awesome, awesome teammate,” Carr added. “I think just the energy that he brings — I don’t know if you guys can notice it, but you feel how fast he wants to play. How fast he wants to get the ball… He really allows us to play the way that we want to play. He’s an awesome kid. I love him.“