ARIZONA BASKETBALL

Kerr Kriisa entering transfer portal after 3rd year with Wildcats

Mar 22, 2023, 10:50 AM | Updated: 10:54 am

Arizona guard Kerr Kriisa (25) reacts after Arizona State guard Desmond Cambridge Jr. hits a three ...

Arizona guard Kerr Kriisa (25) reacts after Arizona State guard Desmond Cambridge Jr. hits a three point buzzer beater to defeat Arizona 89-88 during an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Starting point guard Kerr Kriisa will enter the transfer portal after playing his third year with the Arizona Wildcats, he told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.

The junior led the Pac-12 at 5.1 assists per game to go with 9.9 points and 37% shooting both from the field and from three.

Kriisa wrote his intentions to depart on Instagram:

“Tucson!❤️ Keeping it short and sweet. Thank you for unforgettable 3 years that I had here,” he wrote. “So thankful and grateful for all moments that I shared with my teammates. Bear down, always!”

The Estonian joined Arizona as a recruit of former head coach Sean Miller midway through the 2020-21 season but appeared in just eight games as a freshman.

He entered the transfer portal that offseason as Miller was fired from the school before incoming head coach Tommy Lloyd convinced him to remain with Arizona.

Kriisa made a leap as a sophomore to follow that decision. The point guard started 31 games and despite his erratic three-point shooting helped the Wildcats reach the Sweet 16.

This past year, Kriisa led Arizona at 31.1 minutes per game and provided the same energy and playmaking to go with a three-point-centric offensive game.

The player likely to benefit the most from a Kriisa transfer is Kylan Boswell, who appeared in 35 games as a reclassified freshman.

Boswell averaged 4.6 points and 1.6 assists in 15.2 minutes per game in his first season. He shot 45% from the floor and 39% from three-point range in his limited minutes.

The Wildcats do not have lead guards as part of their 2023 recruiting class, which as of Kriisa’s transfer includes four-star wing K.J. Lewis.

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