Tempering expectations of Kerr Kriisa for Arizona Basketball

With Arizona Basketball returning to action on Thursday evening, that means that freshman Kerr Kriisa will finally make his highly anticipated debut.

It has been a long time coming, but when Arizona Basketball suits up again on Thursday evening against Utah, freshman Kerr Kriisa will finally make his highly anticipated debut with the Wildcats.

So far, much has been built up to this point with Kerr, that I think it goes without saying that we’re all more than ready to finally see him debut.

Arizona Wildcats

A wiry framed and talented kid from Estonia, he has been a bit of a mystery to Arizona fans ever since committing back in April of last year.

Coming in, there wasn’t a ton of film on him, nor had he played competitively in the United States, however, there was always a persistent hope with him. Hope that he would live up to the hype and perhaps be the quintessential point guard that has seemingly been lacking in recent Sean Miller coached teams.

Unfortunately, because of eligibility issues, we have had to wait, and wait, and then we had to wait a little bit more, anxious to see Kerr finally play.

Now, lucky for us, the immediate eligibility of Georgetown transfer James Akinjo has been a godsend since he has been everything that we have been asking for and then some. Nonetheless, as Arizona has seen injuries, depth has become a concern these past few weeks.

Thankfully, with Kerr finally eligible, he should provide an immediate “injection into the arm” as Miller put it. And despite breaking his nose just weeks ago, he will play on Thursday evening at Utah.

Now coming in, I know there will be plenty of hype about how he will play and perform, but as with any freshman playing in their first collegiate game, I must warn the fans that are reading this and will be watching, to temper expectations on Kerr.

After all, he is just a freshman with no collegiate experience. Even though he has been practicing with the team, he also hasn’t been getting that in-game experience where he can learn and grow.

Now, maybe he comes in, surprises us all, and plays to a level that we have seen very few do at Arizona, however, in an abbreviated College Basketball season that has seen numerous game cancellations and plenty of volatility; development and improvement were going to be the focus for Arizona this season.

Everything that has been done this season thus far, has been in preparation for the future for this program, and finally getting Kerr eligible is a big deal for the Wildcats long term. He will provide immediate depth and give the Wildcats another talented body.

At Zona Zealots, we are excited to see Kerr finally suit up and cannot wait to see what he can do! As always, Bear Down, Arizona!