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3rd time’s the charm for Kentucky basketball head coach Mark Pope with latest blockbuster commitment

Originally posted on ClutchPoints | By Scotty White | Last updated 5/1/24

Mark Pope is the new head coach of the Kentucky basketball team after John Calipari left the Wildcats to go coach at Arkansas. Pope recently came close to landing some big transfer portal commits, but he missed on a couple early on. Wednesday has been a big day for him as he has landed commits from Dayton transfer Koby Brea and now West Virginia basketball transfer Kerr Kriisa. Pope is starting to gain some momentum and he is building a good roster for next season.

“NEWS: West Virginia transfer Kerr Kriisa has committed to Kentucky, he told ESPN,” Jonathan Givony said in a tweet. “Head coach Mark Pope pursued Kriisa on two separate occasions out of high school and upon transferring out of Arizona, finally securing his commitment the third time around.”

Third times the charm for Mark Pope as he has finally landed a commitment from Kerr Kriisa. Kriisa is joining the Kentucky basketball team and he is the second big commitment of the day for Pope. Not a bad day at the office.

Kentucky will be Kriisa’s third home as he has already transferred schools once. He started his career at Arizona and then transferred over to West Virginia basketball. He played three seasons with the Wildcats and has played just one for the Mountaineers.

Last season was a big one for Kriisa as he averaged double figures for the first time. He finished the year averaging 11 PPG, 4.7 APG and 2.5 RPG. He should be a good contributor on this Kentucky basketball team next season.

West Virginia Mountaineers guard Kerr Kriisa (3) drives to the basket around Cincinnati Bearcats forward Aziz Bandaogo (55) during the second half at T-Mobile Center. © William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky basketball’s other Wednesday commit: Koby Brea

Kerr Kriisa and Koby Brea both decided to commit to Kentucky on Wednesday, and it made for a big day for Mark Pope and the Wildcats. Brea is one of the best shooters that was in the transfer portal, and he is excited to be coached by Pope.

“His style of play complements my strengths as a basketball player,” Koby Brea said, according to an article from ESPN. “He’s proven to be one of the best when it comes to utilizing the 3-pointer. There’s nobody in college basketball who can shoot off the catch, off the bounce and off the move all together the way I do.”

Kriisa and Brea are both huge pickups for the Wildcats, but Pope still has some work to do this offseason. The next season of Kentucky basketball will be an interesting one to watch.

This article first appeared on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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