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Koby Brea was the nation’s top 3-point shooter in the transfer portal after he decided to leave Dayton. It didn’t take long for Kentucky coach Mark Pope to target Brea as a perfect fit for his offense.
He looked like that type of shooter Monday when he went 4-for-4 from 3-point range in Monday night’s 41-point win over Wright State in UK’s first game. He finished the game with 18 points in 20 minutes and went 7-for-8 overall from the field.
Brea emphasized before the season started that he wanted to prove he was more than just an outside shooter.
“I think that was something I focused on a lot this summer; evolving from a shooter to an all-around player. I continue to be labeled as a shooter and I want to be more than that,” Brea said after the Wright State win.
“I know it’s going to be harder to get those type of shots and people are going to keep closing out hard, so now it’s the next thing. What am I going to do now to not just be a shooter, not be easy to guard? The coaches have done a really good job with that and I’m finally able to show it.”
Brea was the Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year twice and is clearly comfortable coming off the bench with Jaxson Robinson, Otega Oweh and Lamont Butler in the starting lineup. That looks like that will be his role at Kentucky and he’s fine with that.
“It’s something I told (Pope) I don’t really care about.” Brea said. “As long as I’m in the game and able to have an impact in my way, then I’m good. I just want to be out there.”
7 Responses
I think Pope has a lot of players that feel the same way. That makes everyone on the team feel better about their role, and allows the coach to make the necessary decisions a lot easier. Who you put on the floor should never be about personal feelings, pride, or ego. It should be about winning and that is good for everyone involved.
Exactly when players know there roles evetything works out better for the team. I think the great thing about this team is that they just want to win. Players don’t care about personal accolades and only about winning. That’s how you play championship basketball.
with you Terry
YES! Old fan, you’re absolutely right! 👍
YES! terry Wren, you’re absolutely right! 👍
A lot different from the last 5 years at UK !! Go BIG BLUE
Yes it is Pete