West Virginia won’t have point guard Kerr Kriisa for the next seven games.
Kriisa, who transferred in from Arizona this off-season, isn’t eligible for that period of time after admitting to receiving impermissible benefits.
The decision came down on Oct. 31 which meant that there wasn’t much time to adjust on the fly to replace what he brought to the table.
“He’s at a different level of IQ than any player in the country in my opinion,” assistant Jordan McCabe said. “He’s going to be so much fun to watch for the West Virginia fans.”
Kriisa averaged 9.9 points and 5.1 assists per game last season for the Wildcats and was expected to take on a massive role for the Mountaineers. That will still be the case but will be delayed.
Given the state of the roster that meant junior Kobe Johnson and redshirt freshman Jeremiah Bembry were going to be asked to fill in for Kriisa until he could return Dec. 16 against Massachusetts.
Johnson is charged with assuming the biggest amount of the minutes there but it will look different than what Kriisa brings to the table. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it means that West Virginia will have to go about things differently without the Estonian point guard in the lineup.
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Kriisa is effective off the ball screen where he can make quick and decisive reads, while Johnson is more of a steady ball-handler who can get the ball to the right place. Head coach Josh Eilert wants Johnson to be more aggressive in ball screen situations and to get downhill.
“He can put a lot of pressure on the rim and go at these guards and finish through them,” he said.
Eilert also has confidence that Johnson has good vision and understands where to go with the basketball within the framework of the offense.
Bembry on the other hand has zero on-the-court experience outside his limited minutes through the first two games but has a solid skill set to build out from and is going to be depended on for minutes at least until Kriisa is back on the floor. But he has to continue to cultivate consistency to earn trust.
“He’s versatile and dynamic. A ton to work with there,” McCabe said.
It’s a more significant role for both, but they aren’t shying away from the opportunity. And if the Mountaineers can navigate this stretch, the team is going to be better off for it.
“The depth we’ll have if we get through this fairly unscathed. Think about the depth and experience we’ll have with some of these guys,” Eilert said.
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