By Keith Taylor
Kentucky Today
Kerr Kriisa won’t be returning to the Kentucky lineup this season.
Kentucky coach Mark Pope officially announced Thursday the fifth-year senior has already passed the window of opportunity for a possible return after breaking his foot against Gonzaga in December.
“We’re past the window now where he could actually get back,” Pope said. “It’s been little bit of a stubborn healing process and he just hasn’t reached the benchmarks he’s needed to get to in terms of that healing process.”
Krissa could receive a medical redshirt Pope said earlier this year, but it’s not certain if Kriisa will return to Lexington next year.
In nine games, Kriisa averaged 4.4 points, 3.8 assists, and 2.4 rebounds and started one game for the Wildcats.
Another injured Kentucky player — Jaxson Robinson — underwent successful wrist surgery on Wednesday and Pope said the procedure “was perfect.”
“I talked to (Jaxson) last night. He was a little tired and a little irritable, but he’s on his way back right now,” Pope said.
Robinson injured the wrist during practice last month. He missed four games and made a brief return in a loss at Oklahoma last week, before opting for a long-term solution with surgery compared to a short-term fix and taking a risk of further damaging the tendon.
Pope added he wasn’t sure if Robinson would travel with the team to Saturday’s game at Missouri.
“We’ll see how he feels when he gets back,” Pope said. “I know he’s gonna want to be with the team every second he can. And we want him to be. I know it’s tough travel, tough 48 hours for him, and we’ll see how he is once he gets here.”
Robinson appeared in 24 games this season and was second on the team in scoring with 13 points per game. In Southeastern Conference games, Robinson averaged 14.4 points per outing.
“It’s unfortunate with Jax because he played such a big role on this team and what he brings is crazy,” Kentucky leading scorer Otega Oweh said. “I feel like we’ve just got to focus on what we’re doing on the court. Jax is going to support us as much as he can. If we’re out there playing and worried about Jax, our attention is not where it needs to be. Once we get on the court, all of that goes out the window, you just have to focus.”
SEC Tournament scenarios
Following Oklahoma’s win over Missouri and Mississippi’s victory over No. 4 Tennessee on Wednesday night, Kentucky will receive a first-round bye and will be no lower than a No. 8 seed in next week’s Southeastern Conference Tournament in Nashville.
Kentucky can finish as high as a No. 5 seed with a win at Missouri Saturday, an LSU victory over Texas A&M and if Florida defeats Ole Miss. The Wildcats also can fall between a No. 6-8 seed depending on the outcome of Saturday’s games.
GAMETRACKER: Kentucky at Missouri, noon, Saturday. TV/Radio: ESPN, UK Radio Network.