Kerr Kriisa doesn’t lack confidence. From jawing with Luka Doncic to taking subtle shots at Cooper Flagg, he’s a man who isn’t afraid to voice his opinion. You love it when he’s on your team, but hate it when he’s on the other side. That confidence translates directly to his on-court playstyle.
“He electric,” Kentucky guard Otega Oweh said of Kriisa on Monday. “Every time he out there he’s gonna do something, whether it’s yelling in someone’s face, he’s gonna smack the floor, smack the stanchion. When he’s doing that, it’s electrifying because he’s getting everyone riled up and gets everyone turnt.”
The Big Blue Nation saw that firsthand on Saturday when Kriisa came off the bench and dished out a dozen assists — tying a career-high — in just 21 minutes against Bucknell, a 100-72 win for UK. Eight of those dimes came in the second half, which started off slow for Kentucky but picked up the moment Kriisa entered the game. He was doing everything Oweh mentioned: yelling in other people’s faces, smacking the stanchion after a defensive stop, just being himself.
Each assist came with more flair than the last. Kriisa was completely fooling defenses with just his eyes, although he admitted the no-look passes are becoming easy to scout. He’s even got his teammates firing off no-look passes. His vibe is contagious.
“Everyone has to have their head on a swivel (when Kriisa is in),” Kentucky center Amari Williams said on Monday. “We even seen Koby Brea throw a no-look pass. You just have to know that pass can come at any moment.”
Kentucky leads the nation in assists at 26.5 per game, according to Sports-Reference. Kriisa has accounted for 8.5 of those. As Williams said, his passing ability is infectious. Kriisa is one of six Wildcats averaging more than two assists per game. There has been little evidence of selfishness throughout the roster. Six Kentucky players are scoring in double-figures. Being generous with the ball has trickled down to everyone.
“It definitely rubs off on other players,” Oweh said of Kriisa’s non-stop energy. “He’ll go out there and make a pass, hype the person up, then give his all on defense. That’s just huge. He’s just trying to change the tempo of the game, uplift us.”
That’s exactly what he did in the second half against Bucknell. Head coach Mark Pope noticed a dip in energy, so he quickly brought in Kriisa and Brea to mix it up. Kriisa ultimately led the team in plus/minus at +20. Kentucky will need that and then some during Tuesday night’s showdown with Duke.
