The NCAA will allow Arizona freshman guard Kerr Kriisa to play starting Feb. 6 at Colorado, the Wildcats announced Monday.
A freshman from Estonia, Kriisa had been stuck in the NCAA clearinghouse after playing for Lithuanian club Zalgiris and having a representative last season.
Kriisa told reporters in Estonia he did not sign a professional contract, but the NCAA's ruled that he must effectively sit out first 70% of Arizonaβs games this season.
The decision means the Wildcats will have another key shooter and ballhandler available in the backcourt, at least toward the end of the season.
Both Kriisa and UA coach Sean Miller expressed excitement over the news after a long delay that appeared to involve an appeals process.
ITS GO TIME!!!!! https://t.co/0QRx5OXIW5
— Kerr (@KerrKriisa) December 22, 2020
"I am extremely excited that Kerr will get the opportunity to play at some point this season," Arizona head coach Sean Miller said in a statement. "I am happy for both Kerr and his family that they know he has a clear and bright future at the University of Arizona. Our coaching staff, our team and our fans all love having him as a part of our program."
Under NCAA rules, international players are allowed to retain amateur status and play in college if the money they received did not exceed the cost of their training and participation to play for clubs or in other events.
Because Kriisa did not know if he would become eligible earlier this season, he left the Wildcats briefly to return home and play in FIBA EuroBasket qualifying game for Estonia against Russia on Nov. 28. A second Estonia game against North Macedonia was canceled because of COVID-19 issues with expected opponent North Macedonia, and Kerr returned to Tucson five days later.
βBecause heβs not eligible at the moment to play, I thought it was right for both him and his family and Estonia the country,β UA coach Sean Miller said Nov. 27, after the Wildcats beat Grambling State 74-55. βWeβre hopeful that he can be eligible to play. Heβs a big part of our team. Heβs a very good shooter, playmaker (and he) gives us more depth.β
While he was in Estonia last month, Kriisa told local media that he was aware he might not be cleared at all this season to play collegiately, drawing some speculation that he might not return, but Kriisa told Posttime reporter Ville Arike on Sunday that he was set on coming back to Arizona.
Since returning to Tucson, Kriisa spent a week away from the Wildcats to follow COVID protocols, and has since joined them for practices, still not knowing if or when he would be eligible.
Kriisa has been expected to play a major role in the Wildcatsβ rotation. Before committing to the Wildcats in April, he played well enough last season that Zalgiris briefly promoted him to its senior club.
At 19, he's also already become a standout for his national team. In Estoniaβs 84-56 loss to Russia on Nov. 28, Kriisa went scoreless while missing all four 3-pointers he took and had three turnovers to his lone assist β but in part because Russia tweaked its defense especially for him.
Russia coach Sergei Bazarevich went so far as to say that the primary job 33-year-old point guard Evgenii Baburin had was to stop Kriisa β even though Baburin also wound up hitting 5 of 8 3-pointers and scoring 19 points.
βHis main task was to deal with the Estonian leader and the most talented playerβ for Estonia, Bazarevich said, according to the Postimees of Tallinn, Estonia. βNothing came out of Kriisa β possibly influenced by other factors as well β primarily because we took defense work seriously. And it started with Baburin.β
That's a lot more experience than Kriisa will face even in his first game for the Wildcats, against Colorado and veteran point guard McKinley Wright.
βStability cannot be expected from such a young player yet,β Bazarevich said of Kriisa. βWe knew it and took advantage of it. Sometimes we went (at) him with two men.β
