Third Time’s the Charm For Kentucky’s Mark Pope with Kerr Kriisa

The last few weeks have been very busy in Lexington since the Kentucky Wildcats were eliminated in the first round of the 2024 Men’s NCAA Tournament by Oakland. Head coach John Calipari left the school, taking the head coaching job at Arkansas.

Not surprisingly, Calipari has been crushing it in the recruiting department since the second he signed his contract. Arkansas has loaded up on big-time players, finding a lot of success in the transfer portal.

Filling Calipari’s shoes on the sidelines at Kentucky won’t be easy, but a former Wildcat will try his hand at it. Mark Pope, who spent the last five seasons coaching at BYU, will be returning to Lexington.

He and his staff have been working hard to replenish a roster that was hit hard by players entering the transfer portal or declaring for the NBA Draft. But, they have done an excellent job of restocking the team, putting a focus on 3-point shooting.

One of those players who fit Pope’s style of play and will be joining him at Kentucky is Kerr Kriisa. He made the decision to commit to Kentucky on Wednesday, ending what has been a multi-year pursuit by Pope.

As shared by Jonathan Givony , Kriisa was recruited by BYU out of high school. He ended up at Arizona, but when he decided to transfer, BYU tried their hand again but was unsuccessful. As the old saying goes, the third time’s the charm, as they will now unite with the Wildcats.

At BYU, Pope’s Cougars were third in the nation in 3-point attempts last season. They have a specific style of play he will likely bring along with him to Kentucky. His additions to the roster have reflected that, as four of them would be considered excellent 3-point shooters.

The Wildcats are going to be a deadly team from the perimeter, as they are going to overwhelm opponents with a barrage of 3-point shooting. They are going to have players capable of knocking down shots from the perimeter at essentially every position on the court, making them a difficult team to defend with a veteran in Kriisa leading the way.

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