Kentucky players must expect the unexpected when Kerr Kriisa is on the floor

by Junna Base November 13, 2024

Kerr Kriisa There is no lack of self-confidence. From clapping along Luka Doncic to take subtle shots Cooper FlagHe is a man who is not afraid to express his opinion. You love it when he’s on your team, but you hate it when he’s on the other side. This confidence is directly reflected in his style of play on the pitch.

“He’s electric,” guard from Kentucky Otega Oweh Kriisa said on Monday. “Every time he’s out there he’s going to do something, whether it’s screaming in someone’s face, he’s going to hit the ground, hit the prop. When he does that, it’s electric because he gets everyone excited and gets everyone excited.”

The Big Blue Nation saw that firsthand Saturday when Kriisa came off the bench and dished out a dozen assists — a career high — in just 21 minutes against Bucknell, a 100-72 win for UK. Eight of those coins came in the second half, which started slowly for Kentucky but picked up momentum the moment Kriisa entered the game. He did everything Oweh mentioned: yelling in people’s faces, hitting the prop after a defensive stop, just being himself.

Each assist had more flair than the last. Kriisa fooled the defense entirely with his eyes, although he admitted that the no-look passes were becoming easier to spot. He even has his teammates fire no-look passes. His charisma is contagious.

“Everyone must have their head on a swivel (when Kriisa is in it)“, Central Kentucky Amari Williams said on Monday. “We even saw it Koby Brea Throw a no-look pass. You just have to know that the pass can come at any time.”

According to Sports-Reference, Kentucky leads the nation with 26.5 assists per game. Kriisa accounted for 8.5 of them. As Williams said, his passing ability is contagious. Kriisa is one of six Wildcats to average more than two assists per game. There were hardly any signs of selfishness throughout the squad. Six Kentucky players scored in double figures. The generous handling of the ball was appreciated by everyone.

“It definitely rubs off on other players,” Oweh said of Kriisa’s nonstop energy. “He goes out and makes a pass, fires up the person and then gives his all on defense. This is just huge. He’s just trying to change the pace of the game and cheer us up.”

That’s exactly what he did in the second half against Bucknell. Head coach Mark Pope noticed a loss of energy and quickly brought in Kriisa and Brea to provide relief. Kriisa ultimately led the team in plus/minus at +20. Kentucky will need that and more in Tuesday night’s showdown with Duke.