MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Already low on players, West Virginia’s athletic department announced Tuesday point guard Kerr Kriisa is ineligible to play for nine games this season as a result of receiving “impermissible benefits” while he was a student at the University of Arizona.
WVU Athletics released a statement on the matter:
“In late August 2023, West Virginia University learned of a potential eligibility concern for men’s basketball transfer student-athlete Kerr Kriisa, who admitted to receiving impermissible benefits while enrolled at the University of Arizona. West Virginia worked cooperatively with the NCAA Student-Athlete Reinstatement Staff to reach an appropriate resolution. As a result of his actions, Kriisa will miss nine (9) 2023-2024 regular season games as part of his eligibility reinstatement. Kriisa will be able to continue to practice and travel with the team during his suspension from competition. He accepts responsibility for his actions at Arizona and looks forward to joining his Mountaineer teammates on the floor.”
Kriisa played three seasons for the Wildcats before joining the WVU program during in the most recent offseason.
Kriisa averaged 9.4 points and 4.7 assists for his career at Arizona.
A 6-foot-3 native of Tartu, Estonia, Kriisa was to be the Mountaineers’ starting point guard and is one of only 10 scholarship players on the roster.
In last Friday’s exhibition against George Mason, forward Akok Akok collapsed to the court and was admitted to the hospital. Though Akok has since been released, it remains unclear if and when he will resume basketball activity.
Assuming his suspension starts with Monday’s season opener against Missouri State, Kriisa would be sidelined for each of the team’s first nine games, which includes two games in the Fort Myers Tip-Off against SMU and either Virginia or Wisconsin, as well as consecutive December non-conference home games against St. John’s and Pitt.