Will Kerr Kriisa return for Kentucky basketball? What he said ahead of March Madness game
MILWAUKEE — Kerr Kriisa doesn't want anyone to lose sight of the moment. Kriisa, a fifth-year senior guard for Kentucky basketball, is out for the season, unable to appear in the NCAA Tournament, which — for the rest of the team — begins Friday night against Troy.
He hasn't played since injuring his foot Dec. 7 in the second half of the team's eventual overtime win over Gonzaga in Seattle.
Because he appeared in just seven games for the Wildcats in 2024-25, and because none of those appearances occurred past the halfway point of the season, Kriisa is eligible for a medical redshirt.
But a sixth season of college isn't on his mind.
Not yet, anyway.
"Our focus is really getting through tomorrow, getting through Sunday," Kriisa said during UK's open locker room at Fiserv Forum on Thursday. "Hopefully day by day, keep this season going. That's where my head is at."
When specifically asked about returning to Lexington for the 2025-26 campaign, the 6-foot-3, 185-pound native of Estonia reiterated his only concern is the remainder of this season.
"I don't know nothing about next year. I don't even know if I (I'll) come back to college," he said. "I don't know anything. All I know is that my foot wasn't good enough to play and risk (this season). So, yeah, I'll focus on that stuff later."
At this point, Kriisa's only takeaway from the season-ending injury is perspective.
"Everything happens for a reason," he said. "And now that I've been away from basketball for a minute, I feel like I came to a realization how much I really love that sport and how much it's part of my life."
As he goes into an uncertain future, he acknowledged all options are on the table for where he might play next season.
"I don't know if I want to do another three months of college. Like, college summers are long, you know?" he said. "So I might go overseas (to play professionally). We'll see. I don't know."
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: March Madness 2025: Kentucky basketball's Kerr Kriisa on his future
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