Tag: Koby Brea

Kentucky defeats Bucknell with a balanced offensive attack

Kentucky basketball got another blowout win on Saturday against Bucknell.

Game two of the 2024-25 Kentucky basketball season went much like the first game did. They opened with a 103 – 62 win over Wright State. On Saturday, the Wildcats took on Bucknell, and came away with a 100 – 72 victory.

Kentucky didn’t shoot the ball as well as they did in the opener, but they dominated the boards and played tough on the defensive end, setting up a lot of open shots. As promised, they took a lot of three-pointers, attempting 36 of them. They made 13.

Related: Jay Bilas puts Kentucky 15th in his rankings

Koby Brea led six Wildcats in double figures with 20 points. He was 6-of-8 from three-point range. Amari Williams recorded another double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Meanwhile, Kerr Kriisa led the team in assists with 12.

The Wildcats have scored 100-plus in both of their games so far, and have won each convincingly. The Duke Blue Devils are up next, though, and it will not be as easy to win. It will be a good test of where Kentucky is at this season.

Three Kentucky Wildcats were listed as top 100 NBA draft prospects by ESPN

Three Kentucky basketball players are listed on ESPN’s top 100 NBA draft prospects.

The Kentucky basketball roster for 2024-25 is unlike any that fans have seen in recent memory. Instead of a team dominated by top ranked Freshmen, this year’s team will feature a lineup comprised mostly of transfers from other schools.

Mark Pope’s first roster will be an experienced one, but not one loaded with obvious NBA talent, like in previous seasons. However, there are some players who have the ability to be NBA players. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony has released his top 100 NBA draft prospects, and three Wildcats are on it.

Related: Kentucky basketball ranked in preseason top 25

Kobe Brea is the first player from Kentucky on the list at number 69. He is an elite shooter who made 50% of his three-point attempts last season.

The next player on the list is Jaxson Robinson, the transfer from BYU. He averaged over 14 points per game last season while coming off the bench.

The final player listed is center Brandon Garrison. The youngest player on the list, he has the potential to be their biggest star as well.

The NBA draft is a long way off, and it’s too soon to fairly judge how things will shake out. There are talents on Kentucky. It will just take time to see who will step up this year.

Kentucky transfer guard named among nation’s top 3-point shooters

Veteran college basketball analyst Andy Katz named this Kentucky transfer as the top 3-point shooter in the nation.

The Kentucky Wildcats’ basketball season opener is less than two months away. The Wright State Raiders will visit Lexington for the season’s opening tip at Rupp Arena on Monday, Nov. 4.

At 6’7, shooting guard Koby Brea will bring his size and elite shooting to Lexington, where he’ll make his much-anticipated Kentucky debut this season.

A transfer from the Dayton Flyers, Brea is one of the nation’s top three-point threats, having shot 49.8 percent from beyond the arc last season. The two-time Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year averaged three made 3-pointers per game, playing a pivotal role in the Flyers’ 25-8 record and NCAA Tournament appearance. Brea’s sharpshooting should make an immediate impact for the Wildcats.

Veteran college hoops expert Andy Katz recently ranked Brea as the best three-point shooter in all of college basketball. Brea was ahead of players like Mark Sears of the Alabama Crimson Tide, RJ Davis of the North Carolina Tar Heels, and Josh Hubbard of the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

 

Brea is excited to see what he can do in Pope’s offense, which he cited as the reason he transferred to Kentucky after four seasons at Dayton.

“That was the biggest draw for me. I was probably coming here just to see how perfect the system was for me. Coach Pope did a great job of explaining to me where I can excel in the offense, the hit system in general, and the defensive system as well.”

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Koby Brea has pulled out of the NBA draft and is on to Kentucky

Transfer Koby Brea has pulled his name out of the NBA draft and will head to Kentucky.

Former Dayton guard Koby Brea committed to Kentucky basketball back on May 1st. The sharp-shooting wing was a big catch for Mark Pope and his staff, and is a great fit for the offense the Wildcats will run.

On Tuesday, a number of new Wildcats pulled their names out of the NBA draft. Brea was one of them. He tested the draft process, but as expected, decided to return to college and complete his transfer to Kentucky.

Related: Recruit Malachi Moreno will visit Kentucky basketball

Brea was one of the elite shooters in all of college basketball last season, shooting 50% from three-point range. He averaged 11.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game for the Fliers, coming off the bench for the most part.

Pope, as well as fans of the Wildcats, will be happy to have Brea on the roster for the 2024-25 season. They want to shoot a lot of three-pointers, and few do that as well as Koby Brea.

Former Dayton guard Koby Brea commits to Kentucky basketball

Three-point specialist Koby Brea has committed to Kentucky basketball.

New Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope has hit his stride in adding to the Wildcats roster for next season. The past week has seen a number of good players committed, and on Wednesday, he got another. Former Dayton guard Koby Brea has chosen Kentucky as his home for 2024-25.

Brea is a one of the top three-point shooters in the country. Last season, he made over 49% of his attempts and made three per game. He averaged 11 points per game as well and won the Atlantic-10 Sixth Man of the Year award.

The 6’6″ guard has had an interesting transfer process. He had Kentucky among his finalists initially, but appeared to narrow his list down to Connecticut and the Duke Blue Devils, and decided to not visit the Wildcats.

However, Duke took themselves out of the race, and UConn landed guard Aidan Mahaney, putting Kentucky back in it. Brea visited Kentucky and liked what he saw. He had this to say about his decision:

Growing up, I was told I was dreaming too big whenever I’d say my dream was to play for the University of Kentucky. I feel like God does everything for a reason, and He has put me in a position where I’m able to play for my dream school in my last year of college, while playing for something bigger than myself.

Brea’s three-point ability will excite Kentucky fans, who have been looking for more offensive firepower to be added. Big Blue Nation will be happy about this one.

Guard Koby Brea will no longer visit Kentucky basketball

Former Dayton guard Koby Brea will not be taking a visit with Kentucky basketball.

Kentucky basketball, and new coach Mark Pope have a busy weekend ahead, with several visits lined up with top players in the transfer portal. Guard Koby Brea will no longer be one of them, however.

The Wildcats have been in contact with Brea since he entered the portal, and were one of his final five teams, along with Connecticut, North Carolina, Kansas, and the Duke Blue Devils. Now, he will only be visiting Duke and Connecticut.

Last season, with Dayton, Brea averaged 11 points and 4 rebounds per game. He also made almost 50% of his three-point attempts on the year.

The 6’6″ shooting guard has just one year of eligibility remaining, but will provide whoever lands him with a terrific shooter either off the bench, or as a starter.

The Wildcats, and Pope, will turn their attention to the other players set to visit Kentucky, including several other guards. The roster carousel will continue for Big Blue Nation.

UPDATE: Dayton sharpshooter Koby Brea no longer visiting Duke

Dayton’s Koby Brea no longer plans to visit Duke next week.

After seeing more than nine players leave the program for the portal or professional opportunities since Duke’s season ended, head coach Jon Scheyer has been deliberate in the transfer portal.

However, it seems like Dayton shooter Koby Brea won’t be a part of those plans.

After a Friday report from national insider Jon Rothstein that Brea would visit the Blue Devils from Tuesday to Thursday of next week, The News & Observer’s Stephen Wiseman confirmed Brea would not take a trip to Durham.

Brea averaged 11.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game this past season while shooting an NCAA-best 49.8 percent beyond the arc for a Flyers group that posted a 25-8 record and reached the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 before ultimately falling to Arizona.

Duke does still have two transfers so far this offseason. Maliq Brown is officially a Blue Devil, and he adds defensive prowess and energy and is an elite finisher at the rim. Purdue transfer Mason Gillis, who also officially joined the program on Friday, is a sharpshooter who can guard multiple positions along the perimeter. He was the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year and brings leadership, toughness, and range to hit big shots.

Latest trend proves this skill is most coveted in college basketball transfer portal

The pursuit of Mason Gillis and Koby Brea in the transfer portal proves college basketball’s three point revolution is in full swing.

For the majority of college basketball’s history, a four-year role player in the Big Ten who never averaged more than seven points per game wouldn’t be praised as a big time addition for the Duke Blue Devils.

Likewise, a guard who didn’t start in the A-10 wouldn’t get the opportunity to choose between the following five schools for his final year of eligibility: Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, and UConn.

However, both Mason Gillis and Koby Brea possess a skill so valuable in today’s game that it feels like we are looking at college basketball’s ‘Moneyball’ moment:

“They hit three point shots”.

Gillis is a 6’6 forward who drilled 40.7% of his three point attempts over four years at Purdue, including knocking them down at a 46.8% clip last season, and he will come in and provide much needed floor spacing, veteran experience, and toughness for this Duke team as they prepare to build around Tyrese Proctor and freshman Cooper Flagg in 2024-25.

Meanwhile, Brea averaged 11.1 points on blistering hot 49.8% shooting from beyond the arc last year at Dayton, attempting over six threes per game. He is now choosing between five of the sports bluest blue bloods, and regardless of where he ends up he will be a key piece for one of the most recognizable teams in college basketball – all because of his ability to hit the three ball.

The NBA has embraced the three point revolution and many college programs are catching on, and as long as this trend continues players who can consistently stretch the floor and hit open threes will remain hot commodities in the transfer portal and NIL era.

Duke in the running for former Dayton guard Koby Brea

According to a Monday report from On3’s Jamie Shaw, the Blue Devils are one of five contenders for former Dayton guard Koby Brea.

The Blue Devils aren’t done in the transfer portal.

According to a Monday report from On3’s Jamie Shaw, former Dayton guard Koby Brea listed Duke among one of his final five options.

As a junior last season, Brea averaged 11.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-6 New York native shot 49.8% from beyond the arc, by far the best season of his career.

He scored 20 points in two different games last season, first a 22-point night against SMU in November before a 21-point game against Saint Louis in March. He averaged 14.5 points per game in the NCAA Tournament.

Brea has played in 113 games across the last four seasons, but he’s only started 21 times.

After the commitments of Syracuse forward Maliq Brown and Purdue guard Mason Gillis, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer still has three additional scholarships to dole out in the portal. One of them could be going to the former Flyer.

Brea is also reportedly considering Kansas, North Carolina, Kentucky, and two-time defending national champion Connecticut.

Wisconsin basketball in pursuit of a top transfer, nation’s leading 3-point shooter

Greg Gard and the Wisconsin staff are still quite active in the transfer portal:

Wisconsin basketball contacted former Dayton guard Koby Brea, according to On3’s Jamie Shaw.

Brea, a 6’6″ marksman, entered the transfer portal earlier this week with one year of eligibility remaining. A myriad of schools have reached out to the top shooting guard, including Kansas, UConn, Duke, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Baylor and Wisconsin. Shaw notes there are 25 total programs on that list.

Related: Tracking Wisconsin basketball’s reported transfer portal visits and targets

The Bronx, New York native shot a remarkable 49.8% from downtown during the 2023-2024 season, enough to vault him into NCAA Division I men’s basketball’s upper echelon. He averaged 11.1 points and 3.1 rebounds in 33 appearances for the Flyers in his fourth campaign in Ohio.

247sports ranks Brea as the No. 25 overall shooting guard and No. 139 overall player in the portal.

Wisconsin is certainly in need of a shooting boost from the perimeter with the departures of top guard A.J. Storr and sharpshooter Connor Essegian,. Brea’s length and veteran presence could also provide a spark for head coach Greg Gard’s guard rotation.

Brea is yet to make a transfer decision.