While the ones to Lamont Butler and Andrew Carr have been at the forefront of the minds of most of BBN, especially during their most recent losing streak, another name has been sidelined for the last several weeks.

Kerr Kriisa, who played a pivotal role as the team’s backup point guard, has been out for two months with a nagging foot injury, and there’s no reason to think a return could be coming in the near future.

However, Mark Pope provided an update this week ahead of his team’s matchup with South Carolina.

“He’s not doing anything active on the court yet, but he’s doing much more active stuff in the weight room and in the training room,” said Pope of Kriisa. “So the next step is just to see what that response is like. It’s a matter of how quickly and if you can get over the soreness in that step.

“And then it’s a matter of getting on the court to do some light things on the court and see how quickly soreness…you’re just healing bone, right? And it’s a complicated, not great bloodflow to bone. So that part is…there’s no magic wand to it.”

Pope set realistic expectations, which is all one could really ask for. While the 6-foot-3 Kriisa isn’t the most prolific player, he has added a spark off the bench, especially with the Cats lacking ball-handling abilities deeper into their roster.

The last time Kriisa was on the court was Dec. 7, 2024, a huge win for the Cats over Gonzaga in Seattle. He scored eight points and drilled two triples in that win. Coming from West Virginia, Kriisa is averaging 17.4 minutes per game on the season, but he has just nine games played.

For Kentucky’s sake, hopefully, his injury speeds up, but one shouldn’t hold their breath that the Cats will get their backup point guard back anytime soon.