Dayton transfer guard Koby Brea committed to the Wildcats Wednesday following a visit to Lexington. He picked the Cats over fellow bluebloods UConn, Kansas, Duke and North Carolina.
“By the numbers, Koby Brea is the most efficient mid-to-high major player in college basketball in the last decade,” Pope said via press release. “He’s the best returning shooter in college basketball next year. Koby is a dangerous, dangerous man who is a great human with an incredible family. He will be key in allowing us to play the style of basketball that we love the most. Koby and this group are going to take Big Blue Nation on an incredible ride.”
“His (Pope’s) style of play complements my strengths as a basketball player,” Brea told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. “He’s proven to be one of the best when it comes to utilizing the 3-pointer. There’s nobody in college basketball who can shoot off the catch, off the bounce and off the move all together the way I do.”
“The biggest thing I’m looking forward to accomplishing is helping Coach Pope and the University of Kentucky hang another banner. Switching that 8 with a 9! I’m also looking forward to picking Coach Pope’s brain, expanding my game and being pushed to become the best version of myself every day. After discussing with my family and agent, we decided to take this offseason to train like a pro, get stronger and add to my game,” Brea said. “Kentucky is the perfect place to do that, while performing on one of the biggest stages.”
Brea, a Washington Heights, New York native who stands 6-foot-6, has spent the last four seasons at Dayton.
As a freshman during the 2020-21 season, he played in 17 games and made three starts averaging 2.9 points per game while as a sophomore he played in 35 games and started four averaging 8.1 points per game and 2.9 rebounds while shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from three. His sophomore campaign earned him A10 Sixth-Man of the Year honors.
Brea’s junior season of 2022-23 saw him play in 28 games and start 10. He averaged 6.8 points per game, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and shot 36.3 percent from the field and 37.0 percent from three.
This past season, Brea played in 33 games, started four, and averaged 29.1 minutes of playing time for a Dayton team that earned a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Round of 32. He averaged 11.1 points per game, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists while averaging 51.2 percent from the field, 49.8 percent from three, and 87.5 percent from the free throw line. He was named the A10 Sixth Man of the Year for a second time.
In the Flyers’ two NCAA Tournament games, Brea, who is the transfer portal’s 100th ranked player and 14th best shooting guard per 247sports’, averaged 14.5 points per game, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.5 steals while shooting 55.6 percent from the field and 56.3 percent from three.
Brea scored a season-high 22 points in a road win over SMU, went for 21 in a victory over St. Louis and scored 18 in a victory over VCU.
The former Flyer is Kentucky’s sixth transfer portal addition of the offseason, joining forwards Amari Williams (Drexel), Andrew Carr (Wake Forest), Brandon Garrison (Oklahoma State) and Otega Oweh (Oklahoma) and guard Lamont Butler (San Diego State).
Overall, UK now has eight players signed on for the 2024-25 season, as incoming four-star freshmen guards Collin Chandler and Travis Perry are also on board.
