"They all snuck into his apartment like little kids": Mark Pope narrates hilarious Kerr Kriisa surprise party story after Kentucky's win vs Florida

Earlier on Saturday, coach Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats just won their first conference game of the season against the Florida Gators, 106-100. It was a nip-and-tuck affair all the way through but the team's synergy was able to not only get ahead of the Southeastern division, but also hand their opponents their first loss of the campaign.

During the post-game press conference, Pope said what boosted the team's morale en route to the victory was how his squad surprised their teammate, injured guard Kerr Kriisa, in his apartment for his 24th birthday last Jan. 2. The former Kentucky Wildcat shared his emotions on seeing such a positive gesture from his team, saying:

"I'm a big believer .. It's going to sound soft but all my guys snuck into Kerr Kriisa's apartment after celebrating his birthday to go scare him and surprise him. My guy (Kriisa) is struggling right now cause he can't play right now, and it's killing him." (Timestamp: 3:45)

"They all snuck into his apartment like little kids to go surprise him and I actually think those runs come from a group like that. I really do," Pope then concluded.

Kriisa has been nursing a right foot injury since early December 2024 during the team's tight 90-89 triumph over the Gonzaga Bulldogs. The West Virginia transferee suffered the non-contact Jones fracture in the second half of the fixture and has been ruled out ever since with a reported timetable for a return in 3 to 6 weeks.

As such, the now 12-2 Wildcats used him as an added motivation for their first conference victory of the year. The team was able to turn around an early Gators lead into a 10-point edge in their favor by halftime as the Mark Pope-coached team did not look back since for the six-point win.

Pope and the rest of the Wildcats now await for Kriisa's return as they set their sights towards their next conference game against the Georgia Bulldogs on Tuesday, Jan. 7.

Mark Pope believes that his team's unity is their biggest factor for success

With the togetherness shown by the Wildcats on Saturday, having all of the starters score in double digits and sharpshooter Koby Brea pitching in 23 markers off the bench, Pope said that this is something that his team is actively working on. Coupled with their never-ending support for Kriisa, the 52-year-old tactitian says that is exactly what they need for SEC success.

"I think it comes from being together, and these guys are working so hard to be together as much as they can. I think that's probably the most important ingredient," Pope stated. (4:10)

Starting off conference play on a high note, there are a lot of expectations this season for the Wildcats to go far come March especially when Kriisa eventually returns to his full extent.