West Virginia ready to transition from Johnson to Kriisa at point
After nine games with guard Kobe Johnson starting and leading West Virginia's offense at the point guard position, the Mountaineers are ready to welcome back fellow senior point guard Kerr Kriisa to pair with the junior and revolutionize the offense.
Kriisa, a transfer from Arizona and a native of Estonia, was expected to be the regular starter at point guard for West Virginia after he suited up in the starting lineup of the team's opening game of the season, the charity exhibition matchup against George Mason.
However, it was discovered in the weeks following, that Kriisa was involved in NCAA violations at his previous school where he received "impermissible benefits" during his time at Arizona. This allowed the governing body to crack down on West Virginia, suspending the senior guard for the team's first nine regular-season matchups.
After this news broke, Johnson stepped into the picture and was elevated into his new role, as a starter, and embraced it, as he became ready for the next challenge to lead his team. Despite a 4-5 record, Johnson filled in nicely according to interim head coach Josh Eilert.
"I think he's done an excellent job," Eilert said. "Nobody ever looked at him as a pure point guard and he's done an amazing job for us over three years, just being that guy that can sit down and guard their best player."
Johnson through nine games to begin the season has done everything that has been asked of him, facilitating and handling the ball on his way to 10.3 points per game and 3.3 assists with a 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio. However, Eilert looks forward to his value as an off-the-ball defender.
"He's got such good length and good footwork that he will be as valuable as anything to use to move off the ball to guard their best player," Eilert said. "To have that luxury will be huge."
Now, in West Virginia's next game against Massachusetts in the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic on Dec. 16, the Mountaineers welcome back their original starting point guard to lead the offense. Eilert said that Kriisa will transition into the starting rotation since he's been practicing and has been ready to go since the first day.
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"He's a very intelligent basketball player and his IQ is off the charts in terms of basketball IQ," Eilert said. "He’s been doing everything with us since day one. He knows our plays inside and out but he can also be that coach on the floor."
A dynamic that hadn't been available so far this season is pairing these two point guards together on the floor, utilizing Johnson as the lockdown defender and scorer, while Kriisa is the facilitator and leader. Eilert believes that this combination will be just as effective for his team to work with.
"Having both of them in the game at the same time will be as effective as anything since we've got two guys who can make a pass," Eilert said. "As a coach, there's so many opportunities and you're trying to figure out who’s going to make the pass off the ball; you’re always asking yourself that question. Having another guy out there that can do that will be crucial for us. It'll be nice to have that one-two punch with both of those guys."
With these two players joining together on the court, fellow guard Seth Wilson recognizes Kriisa's multifaceted impact now that he'll be on the floor
"That’s huge. Besides the obvious thing that it’s saving legs, he’s a magician," Wilson said. "So having that presence back of a guy that’s going to get guys shots and makes shots, his presence on the floor is going to be huge for us."
With the roster evolution happening at West Virginia, including the return of Akok Akok into the rotation, to the ongoing fight for Raequan Battle's eligibility as well as the addition of Kriisa, this is not a normal occurrence in sports.
To see such dramatic mid-season roster changes like this one is something out of the ordinary and center Jesse Edwards also agrees that many of these additions come with a mid-season boost that isn't normally available as WVU reclaims two players in its rotation.
"Normally, you don’t have guys that are out and that can bring an extra boost during the season. It’s not really a normal thing but in this position we have that," Edwards said. "Outside of the fact that we’re getting better as a team, it’s going to help us a lot. It’s definitely big for them to come back."
Now that Kriisa is being transitioned into the lineup ahead of WVU's next matchup on the road, Eilert expects this change to be healthy for all parties involved, whether that's Johnson, Kriisa or any player who will benefit from the Estonia native rejoining the squad in-game action.
"I think it’s going to be a healthy adjustment. If it’s not somebody’s night, you can certainly figure out what to do in terms of bringing some of those minutes down," Eilert said. "You look at how many minutes some of these guys have played, their production level will probably increase with less minutes. It's a lot easier to keep guys accountable and doing the right things out there when you've got more numbers."
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