During his weekly press conference on Thursday afternoon, Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope shared some disappointing news about fifth-year guard Kerr Kriisa. Pope confirmed that Kriisa, who has been sidelined since December with a foot injury, won’t be able to return to the court for the Wildcats this season. “We’re past the window now where he could actually get back,” Pope explained. “It’s just been a stubborn healing process, and he hasn’t hit the benchmarks needed to make a comeback.”
Kriisa, a 24-year-old guard from Estonia who previously played at Arizona and West Virginia, missed Kentucky’s Senior Night festivities during their home win over LSU on Tuesday. Earlier in the week, during his radio show, Pope had mentioned that Kriisa still has one more year of college eligibility left. Kriisa suffered a fractured foot during Kentucky’s overtime victory over Gonzaga on December 7 and has only played in nine games this season.
“We thought Kerr would exhaust his eligibility this year, but he didn’t,” Pope said Monday, clarifying that Senior Night was reserved for players who had used up all their college eligibility. “He’s got another year left, which is fantastic for all of us, right?”
Initially, Kriisa’s injury wasn’t expected to end his season. When Kentucky announced he would undergo surgery, the team emphasized that the injury wasn’t considered season-ending. Pope also expressed optimism about Kriisa’s return at the time. However, his recovery has been slower than anticipated. Last month, Pope acknowledged that Kriisa might not make it back this season.
Under NCAA rules, Kriisa meets the criteria for a medical redshirt, which is available to players who have competed in fewer than 30% of their team’s games and didn’t play past the midway point of the season. However, Kriisa would still need to apply for that extra year of eligibility. It’s unclear whether he’ll choose to return to college basketball or pursue professional opportunities overseas, where he has previous experience playing in Europe.
Looking ahead, Kentucky’s 2025 recruiting class features two highly touted backcourt prospects: Jasper Johnson and Acaden Lewis, both top-30 national recruits. Additionally, players like Collin Chandler, Otega Oweh, and Travis Perry could return next season. The team is also expected to target a veteran, defense-first point guard in the transfer portal. While Kriisa isn’t projected as an NBA draft pick this summer, he’s likely to have professional options abroad.
In his nine games this season, Kriisa averaged 4.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in 17.3 minutes per game. Over his college career, he’s played in 108 games, starting 94 of them. Meanwhile, No. 19 Kentucky, which has secured a top-8 seed in the SEC Tournament, will close out the regular season on Saturday afternoon against No. 15 Missouri.
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