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If that comes as a surprise, it also did to his latest coach.

“The jokes are easy with Kerr,� Cincinnati coach Wes Miller said. “But he’s been playing — I think he was playing when I was finishing my college career. Might have played against each other or something like that.�

While that might be a slight exaggeration, as Miller finished playing for North Carolina in 2007, this isn’t: Kriisa is working on his sixth college basketball season, his sixth coach, fourth team and third conference — one of which, the Big 12, he’s now been a part of with two different teams.

A native of Estonia, Kriisa first arrived in the United States as a Sean Miller recruit during the COVID season of 2020-21, sitting out most of that season because a pro contract he had signed in Lithuania caused eligibility issues (a quaint notion in today’s game… did we mention that he’s been playing college basketball for a long time?)

Kriisa then stuck around to play two more seasons for the Wildcats under Tommy Lloyd, then moved to West Virginia to play under Bob Huggins, who resigned after a DUI arrest and never coached Kriisa in a game, and played for the Mountaineers under interim head coach Josh Eilert instead.

Last season, Kriisa played for Kentucky, but missed most of the season with a foot injury, giving him a redshirt season to combine with his COVID year exception so he could play a sixth season in 2025-26.

This time, Kriisa is considered a leader, a shot-maker and something of an energizer for the Bearcats, who will play Arizona at McKale Center on Jan. 21 this season.

“He’s a fierce competitor on the court, and when you can combine that personality with his competitive nature, I think people gravitate towards it,� Wes Miller said. “I know that his energy has positively affected our team from the first day of practice.

“There’s an energy that Kerr has to play transition basketball, and it’s not for anything other than he wants to get up in the open court and get easy baskets. And that energy, in the way that he vocalizes, that energy, it makes all four (other) guys run harder.�

But in the rushed environment of a main stage interview Wednesday, it wasn’t possible to see Kriisa’s full personality. The quick-witted, sometimes brash guard was asked if he expected a major shot-making role with the Bearcats and said “for sure� he would.

“The ability to make shots, I think it’s going to help my teammates to create more driving lanes and everything,� Kriisa said.

While Kriisa arrived in the States before NIL was even a thing — Sean Miller landed him during a time when FBI and NCAA investigations compromised UA’s recruiting — ASU coach Bobby Hurley said in typically candid fashion later during the morning interview session that NIL’s ballooning impact pushed him to put together a roster that includes seven international players last spring.

Agents, players and coaches around college basketball rushed to complete seven-figure NIL deals for top players last spring before restrictions arrived when the House settlement was approved.

“Some of it is relationship driven. Also, the economics of this year’s portal, I think was very expensive for American players,� Hurley said of his roster-building. “International players are very happy maybe making a bump, a significant bump, from where they were in Europe, and wanting to come over to the United States, get an education and play college basketball in the best conference in the United States.�

The Big 12’s men’s media day started with a discussion about rules changes intended to help the flow of the game, while Kansas State and Texas Tech took the stage early — Arizona was scheduled to appear later in the afternoon Wednesday.

The Red Raiders, who finished second in the Big 12 last season after being picked fifth, won’t get a chance to slip under the radar this time. They were picked to finish third, receiving just four fewer points in voting behind second-place BYU, and possess the league’s reigning (and preseason 2025-26) Player of the Year in forward JT Toppin.

Toppin said he actually felt more pressure as a transfer from mid-major New Mexico last season, even as he is expected to lead the Red Raiders (and reportedly secured a $4 million NIL deal).

“It’s just keep the same mindset, keep the same work ethic, and just trust my teammates to play for me, and I’ll play for them, as well,� Toppin said. “Really just doing all the same little things I did last year and not thinking about it, staying humble, staying grounded, because it’s really the same thing.�