Well before Courtney Ramey and Kerr Kriisa first jumped into the Arizona backcourt together during practices earlier this month, a bond was already well-established.
Ramey dutifully watched video of every game the Wildcats played last season โ along with the four other schools who recruited the Texas transfer last spring. he and Kriisa also hit it off digitally while Ramey tested the NBA Draft from Las Vegas.
โMe and Kerr texted every day when I was going through the draft process, so we had a great connection there,โ Ramey said. โThen playing with him for the first time a couple of weeks ago, you can see that we can do special things because we both can shoot the ball, we both can play on and off the ball.
โI just think itโll be fun to play games with him. With his energy, I can just match that and bring a lot of excitement for the fanbase.โ
While meeting with local media Wednesday for the first time since arriving at Arizona this month, Ramey said he expects to play both on and off the ball next season. Kriisa was the Wildcatsโ primary ballhandler last season.
โIf Kerr has a matchup that he likes, Iโm gonna let him have the ball,โ Ramey said. โIf I have a matchup I like, I expect him to let me have the ball. I donโt think itโs like, โOh, itโs gonna be 50-50 or 70-30.โ Weโre both ballplayers and we know whatโs best for the team.
โI think Coach (Tommy) Lloyd knows the same thing. โฆ heโs going to do is whatever is best for the team. I think thatโs ultimately up to him and his decision-making.โ
Ramey saw on game video how Dalen Terry took a significant share of the ballhandling โ and how Terry turned himself into a first-round NBA Draft pick.
Then Ramey heard about how it worked first-hand from Terry, who also texted with him regularly last spring.
Ramey said the biggest takeaway he received from Terry was that Lloyd โbelieved in Dalen. I mean, Dalen proved a lot of people wrong by going first round. I think Coach Lloyd had a lot to do with that.
โIf he can do that for Dalen, I feel heโs going to do the same for me. Having a coach believe in you as a basketball player goes a long way. I feel like thatโs the type of confidence that I need from my head coach.โ
After Ramey signed with the Wildcats last month, Lloyd expressed plenty of it. He told the Star at the Section 7 recruiting showcase in Glendale that he loved Rameyโs makeup and character.
โI love him as a kid. I think heโs got a real fire in his belly,โ Lloyd said. โHeโs really focused, and I think heโs hungry. And I think the things heโs looking for are the things we can provide โ the opportunity, the development, playing on a stage like Arizona. Iโm expecting him to come in and make a significant impact.โ
Ramey made a significant impact at Texas, starting the past three and a half seasons while becoming a key factor on both sides of the ball.
As a junior under then-coach Shaka Smart in 2020-21, Ramey was named a second-team all-Big 12 pick while averaging 12.2 points and 3.2 assists and shooting 41.4% from 3-point range. Under new coach Chris Beard last season, Rameyโs production slipped to 9.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists. He nearly quit the team in December, according to a report in the Austin American-Statesman.
Texas guard Courtney Ramey celebrates after making a basket during the second half of the Longhorns 2021 game against Kansas. That season, Ramey was named a second-team all-Big 12 pick while averaging 12.2 points and 3.2 assists per game.
After committing to Arizona last month, Ramey said he wanted to โflushโ away memories of last season and declined to speak about it in detail. But the experience will stay with him, having battled the same sort of physical teams that bounced the Wildcats around in the NCAA Tournament last season.
In other words, when Ramey watched all those UA game videos, he also saw TCU of the Big 12 take the Wildcats to overtime in the second round and Houston of the American Athletic Conference end their season in the Sweet 16.
Maybe those are the sort of matchups that could be different now.
โAll four years I was in the Big 12, especially last year, every team was good,โ Ramey said. โI think thatโs kind of what intrigued me to come here. I didnโt play in a league like the Pac-12, where itโs a freeform offensive league. I think the Big 12 was a defensive league.
โSo coming here, I think itโs gonna allow me to grow as offensive player, having more freedom, and then I can just bring all the things I did in my league and show them on the defensive end.โ
