West Virginia basketball has taken yet another big blow in the offseason, with the program announcing that transfer portal acquisition and former Arizona Wildcats star Kerr Kriisa will be suspended for nine regular games in the 2023-24 college basketball campaign due to “impermissible benefits” he received during his time in Tucson.

“In late August 2023, West Virginia University learned of a potential eligibility concern for men's basketball transfer student-athlete Kerr Kriisa, who admitted to receiving impermissible benefits while enrolled at the University of Arizona. West Virginia worked cooperatively with the NCAA Student-Athlete Reinstatement Staff to reach an appropriate resolution. As a result of his actions, Kriisa will miss nine (9) 2023-2024 regular season games as part of his eligibility reinstatement. Kriisa will be able to continue to practice and travel with the team during his suspension from competition. He accepts responsibility for his actions at Arizona and looks forward to joining his Mountaineer teammates on the floor.”

With Kriisa getting a lengthy suspension, West Virginia basketball will likely give an increased role for junior point guard Seth Wilson, who averaged just 4.2 points and 0.5 assists in 13.2 minutes per game during the 2022-23 season.

Kerr Kriisa was a big get for West Virginia basketball, which is now being coached by Josh Eilert after the departure of Bob Huggins. With Arizona last season, Kriisa averaged just 9.9 points but shot 39.4 percent from behind the arc. The Wildcats reached the 2023 March Madness but got victimized in the first round by the Princeton Tigers.

West Virginia will kick off its 2023-24 season with a home game against the Missouri State Bears on Nov. 6.