Kerr Kriisa and I both have something in common when it comes to the game of basketball: neither of us can dunk.
Or at least he claims to have never dunked a basketball. The Kentucky men’s basketball social media team recently went around asking every member of the 2024-25 Wildcats when the first time they dunked was. Kriisa was up first. He quickly responded with an “Oh never” and then shrunk himself down a bit to make sure we’re all aware that he’s not the tallest guy on the roster.
“I’ve never dunked,” he said, which is hard to believe about a lifelong hooper who isn’t exactly small.
Although he’s not the actual smallest on the team with a listed height of 6-foot-3 (Travis Perry holds that honor at 6-foot-1), Kriisa isn’t someone known for his athletic abilities. A quick search on the internet won’t show you any clean dunks from the Estonian native either (not under his own power, at least), who has 99 career college games played under his belt. He prefers to dish the ball and shoot it from deep.
Kentucky fans will be perfectly fine with that, mainly because he’s very good at those specific skills. But now the only thing I’m hoping for this season is a solo fastbreak dunk from Kriisa in front of a packed Rupp Arena.
But what about the rest of the team? Kriisa is the only one who claims they can’t dunk. The first time for everyone else happened years ago, as you’d expect. The likes of Trent Noah, Jaxson Robinson, Otega Oweh, and Brandon Garrison all dunked before making it to high school. The rest finally reached that benchmark early into their high school careers as freshmen and sophomores.
As for myself? I’ll get there eventually — just like Kriisa.
