West Virginia point guard Kerr Kriisa’s time in the transfer portal has been incredibly short.
Kriisa, just two days after saying he was entering the portal following the resignation of longtime Mountaineers coach Bob Huggins last week, announced on Sunday that he was staying after all.
Kriisa was one of the best transfers available on the portal in the early spring before choosing to transfer to West Virginia from Arizona. Due to the coaching change, per NCAA rules, Kriisa and others have a 30-day window to transfer out of West Virginia without having to sit out a season or seek a waiver. .
“It’s been a crazy, busy week,” Kriisa said Friday, via ESPN. “I’m deeply sorry about the situation as I was really looking forward to playing for Coach Huggins. Huggs will always be my man. I’ve only known him for a few months now but he’s the most genuine man I’ve ever had. I’ve ever met. He’s the man.
Huggins officially resigned from his job last week, just a day after being arrested for DUI in Pittsburgh. He said in a statement that he intended to “retire.” West Virginia then named assistant Josh Eilert as Huggins’ interim replacement on Saturday.
Huggins, 69, was arrested in Pittsburgh on June 16 after police said they found his car blocking a road with the driver’s side door open and one of the tires shredded. Huggins then failed a field sobriety test and reportedly blew a .210 on a breathalyzer. Officers also reportedly found a trash bag with empty beer cans on the passenger side floor of his vehicle.
The arrest marked Huggins’ second DUI, following one in 2004 while he was in Cincinnati. It was also his second incident this offseason. Huggins was fined and suspended by West Virginia after he used an anti-gay slur during an appearance on a Cincinnati radio station last month.
Huggins retired as the winningest active head coach in college basketball with 935 career wins while coaching at Walsh, Akron, Cincinnati, Kansas State and West Virginia, where he played – even at university. He made two Final Four appearances and won 10 conference tournament titles.
Kriisa was the second West Virginia player to enter the transfer portal since Huggins resigned. Tre Mitchell entered on Thursday and Joe Toussaint followed Kriisa’s lead on Friday. Toussaint, who transferred to West Virginia from Iowa before last season, averaged 9.4 points and 2.8 rebounds per game with the Mountaineers. Mitchell, who played at UMass and Texas before, averaged 11.7 points and 5.5 rebounds at Morgantown.
Kriisa averaged 9.9 points and 5.1 assists last season at Arizona while shooting nearly 40 percent from the field. He led the Pac-12 in assists and helped the Wildcats win the Pac-12 Tournament for a second consecutive season. The Estonia native has two more seasons of eligibility left.