The Pope is delivering just like UK fans hoped he would. (Vicky Graff Photo)
A sharpshooter and two-time Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year, Koby Brea was added to the Kentucky men’s basketball roster, head coach Mark Pope announced on Wednesday.
Brea paced the nation in 3-point percentage a season ago, making 49.8 percent of his attempts for Dayton, the nation’s third-best in 3-point percentage in 2023-24. Brea averaged 3.0 made 3s per game for the Flyers who went 25-8 on the season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament as an at-large bid. He will have one season of eligibility remaining.
“By the numbers, Koby Brea is the most efficient mid-to-high major player in college basketball in the last decade,” Pope said. “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.”
A native of Washington Heights, New York, Brea has made 21 starts in 113 games for the Flyers. Dayton went 85-41 with Brea on the roster and amassed 22 or more wins in each of the last three seasons.
Brea appeared in 17 games as a freshman and averaged 2.9 points and 1.7 rebounds per game. As a sophomore, Brea earned his first A-10 Sixth Man of the Year honor after notching 8.1 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. He connected on 43.6 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from 3-point range, making 1.8 3-pointers per game. An injury-plagued junior year still saw Brea play in 28 games and make 10 starts. He logged 6.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.
Brea broke out for a memorable season during his fourth year in Dayton. He averaged 11.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while contributing 1.2 assists per game en route to A-10 Sixth Man of the Year honors for the second time in his career. He joins Xavier’s James Posey (1997 and 1998) as the league’s only two-time winners of the award. Brea connected on 51.2 percent of his field goals, including the nation-leading 49.8 percent, with a minimum of 2.5 makes per game, from long range.
Brea was able to rise to the occasion in big moments this season. He tallied 13 points, including the game-tying 3 with 48 seconds left in a win over LSU. Brea totaled a career-high 22 points, six rebounds, and two steals at SMU, where he scored seven of UD’s last eight points in the two-point victory. The 6-foot-6 wing connected on six of eight 3s against SMU. Other season highlights include making 5 of 8 from deep to score 17 points and finish plus-24 against Oakland, and he scored 18 points, 16 coming in the second half, in the come-from-behind VCU win, which included 4 of 5 makes from long range.
In all, Brea has recorded 38 double-digit scoring efforts and connected on three or more from distance on 33 occasions. He has scored 889 career points, hauled in 351 rebounds, dished out 120 assists, and connected on 224 3-pointers at a 43.4% rate.
In two NCAA Tournament games this season, Brea was 9 of 16 (56.3%) from 3-point range against Nevada and Arizona. He scored at least 14 points and made at least four 3s in both contests.
Before signing with Dayton, Brea averaged 20.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game as a senior at Monsignor Scanlon High School. The squad advanced to the final four of the Class AA New York Catholic High School Athletic Association for the first time in school history before COVID-19 canceled the tournament.
In the summer of 2019, Brea represented the Dominican National Team in the U-17 FIBA Centrobasket Championships in San Juan. Although he was born in the United States, both of his parents are from the Dominican Republic, making him eligible to play for the national team. He played in five games, averaging 26.8 minutes, 9.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. He connected on 44 percent of his field-goal attempts and 41 percent from 3-point range.
19 Responses
Mark has recruited a nice bunch of kids for next season. Now the job is to mold them into a team and have them ready to play in November.
Totally agree with the molding comment but the job comment I don’t entirely agree with… pope is in a way better and less stressful position then cal ever was in getting these boys to mold together. The reason being is experience. Yes they all came from different teams but they have alot and I mean alot of games played at this level of basketball so it being a job for pope to get them to play together is going to be way easier then having the kids that we have had over these past years… what I am thinking is popes biggest job or task is getting them prepared or to get them to understand rather quickly is playing in the sec…we all know that this conference is the toughest to ever play for so that’s what I think coaches biggest job is…
Jeez, what a plethora of guards/shooters – hope he fills a few spots with a few inside beasts !
Williams is an inside beast. Garrison likes to pound too. Carr will be more of a stretch 4, but that will keep the middle open for pick & rolls. Oweh will mix it up from the SF spot. Our guards should be free to leak out on shots making for easy baskets.
Our post play will be night and day better than last year. Pope went out and got real dogs. They aren’t 7’1" 190 pounds. These players have muscle mass and bang.
I saw where Garrison is the best NBA prospect on the team so far.
Visited Calipari University and signed immediately with the Cats when he left The Kings campus.
Molding players into a team is made easier or more difficult by the coach himself.
Remember how the UK TEAMS prevailed & looked like FF teams in summer games but were disjointed after the fraud disrupted the chemistry & fire the players had before he interfered.
Favoring pets, cheating efficient team players out of PT are criminal. Never properly using the bench to make a point is dumb.
Pope will do great, he has no ulterior motive & no pets
Brea is the closest thing to getting Reed Sheppard back for another year. The difference is he shot alot more 3’s and was still on the same level as Sheppard. I think with Brea, Perry, Chandler, Oweh, Kriisa, Carr, and Butler you have 7 guys that can knock down the open 3. The best part about is they will all be even better this year. Pope is going to work them very hard. They will be in the gym. I pretty much know what everyone can do except Perry and Chandler. Both of them are excellent shooters but Chandler is a little more slippery. He was doing windmill dunks in games and he was jumping so high his lips were kissing the rim. So super athletic. Perry, Chandler, Oweh, and Garrison will be the center piece of Popes 2nd year. If I was Pope I would try to sign 3 sophomores and juniors that are decent. maybe one more 5th year senior.
I hope Pope reads the comment section here so he’ll know he’ll have to mold them and coach them . He probably never thought of that.
Dirks, maybe you should just quit reading the comments if if bothers you that much.
I find some of them humorous, not offensive. But you seem to be triggered by comments you don’t like.
Furthermore I think mark pope doesn’t need our help in coaching or recruiting. He seems well on his way and I’m perfectly comfortable with leaving it all to him to work out. I’m sure he knows more than us.
This is a forum for Cat fans to talk about Kentucky sports, not belittle comments that are made by others. But if you want to get into personal attacks, I can hang with the best in that arena, just ask anyone here.
You’ve made the first personal attack my friend.
Don’t be hypocrite..
And let me say you don’t scare me and I won’t be bullied. I’ve seen alot of your past comments. You seem like a bully..especially on a keyboard ..
I hope King CALcified doesn’t read where he needs to coach and mold a team.
Guys, this is the first time that I have been this excited about UK basketball in 5 years. I said after that loaded 2015 team lost at the Final Four that we would never see another NC with Cal as our coach. My family and I went to the inaugural press conference for Coach Pope. We got there and hour early and the line was wrapped TWICE around the building. Right then, I knew BBN was all in for our new coach. What he has done already is nothing short of a miracle. Looking forward to supporting one of our own who gets the tradition and excellence that is UK basketball. I now am spending probably far too much time scouring social media for comments about Coach Pope, his staff and most importantly the players. I appreciate the insight that Larry and many of the posters on here bring. GO CATS! LET’S GO!
Yep, there is a different feel to being a part of BBN now.