Illinois basketball has made the transfer portal a major part of its rise under Brad Underwood, but one near-miss now looks like a gift.
On Saturday, Jack Pilgrim of On3.com reported that Kerr Kriisa was arrested by the FBI in connection to a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme while he was at West Virginia. According to the reports, he is also being extradited back to West Virginia for his court hearing.
Kriisa’s path through college basketball has been a long one. The Estonia native and former four-star recruit spent time at Arizona, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Cincinnati.
Illinois entered the picture after his stop with the Mountaineers. At the time, the Illini were reported as one of the programs showing interest in the point guard once he hit the transfer portal.
Thankfully for Illinois, nothing ever came together. Kriisa moved on to Kentucky and Cincinnati over the next two seasons, appearing in 28 total games and averaging fewer than 6.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
That missed connection looks even better in hindsight because Illinois found higher-end answers elsewhere. Instead of Kriisa for the 2024-25 season, Underwood landed Kasparas Jakucionis, who became the No. 20 pick in the NBA Draft after his freshman year.
And if Kriisa had somehow ended up staying around for his final season, Illinois would not have developed Keaton Wagler last season. Wagler went on to become the No. 5 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
For a program that has leaned hard into the portal, this one stands out as a clean miss. Illinois didn’t get Kriisa, and in the end, it came away with two first-round NBA Draft picks instead.
In Other News...
Former Illini Wing May Be Turning Summer League Into Real NBA Momentum
Ben Humrichous got an early summer look with the Brooklyn Nets in the California Classic against the Sacramento Kings, and the former Illini wing made the kind of first impression undrafted players need. In 20 minutes, he finished with six points, two rebounds, two steals, one assist and one block, while knocking down two threes and showing the sort of activity that can keep a front office interested.
What stood out most was the blend of shooting and defense. Humrichous led Brooklyn in three-point shooting percentage by hitting 40 percent from deep, and his two steals and block were among the best marks on the team, a useful reminder that he can do more than just space the floor. If he keeps stacking outings like this, he could start to look like a legitimate candidate for a three-and-D role at the next level. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Fans Just Got A Wild Reminder About One Missed Portal Target
Illinois basketball had its eyes on Kerr Kriisa after his time at West Virginia, but the guard never wound up in Champaign. Now, the former college journeyman is back in the news for reasons far removed from the transfer portal, a jarring reminder of how quickly a missed recruiting target can turn into a very different kind of headline.
For Illinois, the more relevant footnote is what happened instead. The program moved on, kept building, and turned its attention to other pieces that ultimately became NBA Draft picks, a cleaner and far more productive outcome than the one that might have come with Kriisa. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Still Has One Major Defensive Question Underwood Must Answer
Brad Underwood spent part of the offseason addressing a familiar kind of problem for a team trying to stay at the top of the Big Ten: who takes over when a trusted defender is gone. Kylan Boswells departure leaves Illinois with a clear opening on the perimeter, and Underwood pointed to Andrej Stojakovic, Quentin Coleman and Ethan Brown as players who could grow into that responsibility.
The names are promising for different reasons, but the fit is still being sorted out. Stojakovic brings the kind of size and mobility that can change possessions, Coleman has the tools to work his way into the conversation, and Brown is already drawing attention as a first-year option. Illinois has candidates, but it still has to find the player who can consistently handle the toughest guard assignments when conference play tightens up. [Read more 🡒]