MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia Mountaineers built one of the most promising rosters in all of college basketball via the transfer portal this offseason, bringing in Syracuse big man Jesse Edwards, high scoring wing RaeQuan Battle from Montana State, and Arizona point guard Kerr Kriisa.
However, head coach Bob Huggins received a DUI earlier this month, the second of his career, and that - coupled with his recent offensive remarks on a radio station in Cincinnati - led to his resignation and put the Mountaineers' roster in flux ahead of the 2023-24 season.
The team held an expansive search before ultimately deciding to give assistant coach Josh Eilert an interim tag with the hope he can keep this roster together. Since Huggins' resignation, Kriisa, power forward Tre Mitchell, and point guard Joe Toussaint have all re-entered the transfer portal and Eilert will be tasked with trying to keep those players in Morgantown if possible.
Kriisa is the most notable of the bunch, starting each of the last two seasons for a perennial top 10 team in Arizona and averaging 9.8 points and 4.9 assists, leading the Pac-12 in assists per game in 2022-23.
Kriisa could opt to return to West Virginia and play under coach Eilert, but if not here are five programs who could use a primary ball-handler for next season:
1. Memphis Tigers
Memphis has a lot of talented guards, but none are true starting caliber primary ball-handlers. Caleb Mills from Florida State is a great addition as an off-ball guard, Jayhlon Young from UCF is good but not on Kriisa's level, and incoming freshman Mikey Williams is dealing with significant legal issues and his status for next season is questionable, to say the least.
Kriisa's high level passing and shooting would elevate this program to not only AAC favorites, but could make them a dangerous team in March if coach Penny Hardaway can convince Kriisa to join the Tigers.
2. Xavier Musketeers
Xavier coach Sean Miller recruited Kriisa to Arizona in the first place, and he averaged 5.5 points and 2.4 assists in eight games before his season ended prematurely. Miller had a very successful first season at the helm for Xavier, using former USF and UTEP guard Souley Boum magnificently in a lead guard role.
The Musketeers added Western Kentucky guard Dayvion McKnight and Rice transfer Quincy Olivari, but adding Kriisa in a dynamic playmaking role for a high-octane offense could work wonders for Xavier in the Big East next season.
3. Cincinnati Bearcats
Perhaps the best chance for Kriisa to stay in the Big 12, a move to Cincinnati would be a downgrade in terms of surrounding talent - but would give Kriisa a chance to really shine.
The Bearcats lost Mika Adams-Woods to St. Bonaventure and are heading into their first Big 12 season with four-star freshman guard Jizzle James and JuCo transfer DaVeon Thomas as the lead guards. Kriisa would immediately step into a starting role and would have those two, along with Kentucky transfer CJ Fredrick and Butler transfer Simas Lukosius on the wing.
4. Nebraska Cornhuskers
The Cornhuskers were reportedly one of the finalists for Kriisa before he chose West Virginia, and the team could still use him in the backcourt for next season.
Nebraska did add Brice Williams from Charlotte and Ahron Ulis from Iowa, but Kriisa is a step above both from a pure point guard perspective, and he'd have a chance to rack up assists in that offense. The Cornhuskers are on the cusp of getting back to the NCAA Tournament, and Kriisa is the kind of addition that could push them over the top.
5. Michigan Wolverines
Michigan's offseason answer at point guard, Caleb Love, was denied admission to the University and ultimately replaced Kriisa at Arizona instead, leaving Juwan Howard and the Wolverines scrambling to fill a gaping hole on the roster.
Kriisa is a perfectly acceptable plug-and-play option at a time where there aren't many options available, and adding him to a backcourt that includes Alabama transfer Nimari Burnett and sophomore Dug McDaniel will help this team stay competitive in the Big Ten. It's not Kobe Bufkin and Jett Howard, but Kriisa's addition would help significantly in Ann Arbor.