The 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball offseason has not been going on for long, but it has been extremely busy for the Kentucky Wildcats. Their head coach, John Calipari, opted to leave for the head coaching job at Arkansas, which led to several players from the roster hitting the transfer portal.
The transfer portal has changed the game of college basketball, turning into a version of free agency. Players are looking to cash in on their Name, Image and Likeness, with schools having to pony up money or watch their players go elsewhere.
As a Blue Blood of the sport, Kentucky is going to draw players in regardless of who the head coach is. Former Wildcat guard Mark Pope has come over from BYU and hit the ground running when it comes to recruiting transfers.
On Wednesday, Kentucky may have made their biggest splash yet. Dayton sharpshooter Koby Brea, arguably the best 3-point shooter in college basketball, has committed to the Wildcats. Brea chose them over Duke, North Carolina, Kansas and the two-time defending National Champion UConn Huskies as one of the most sought-after players in the transfer portal.
“Growing up, I was told I was dreaming too big whenever I’d say my dream was to play for the University of Kentucky,” Brea said. “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.”
Last season, Brea knocked down 100 3-pointers, making 50 percent of his attempts to lead the nation by a large margin. In college basketball history, only three other players have achieved that feat; Salim Stoudemire in 2005, Mike Iuzzolino in 1991 and Steve Kerr in 1988.
What sold Brea on Kentucky was the style of play that Pope is expected to bring with him from BYU. Last season, the Cougars shot the third-most 3-pointers in the nation, a brand of basketball that fits Brea’s skill set.
“His style of play complements my strengths as a basketball player,” Brea said. “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.”
Brea has won the Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year award twice. He is the sixth transfer Kentucky has landed since Pope took over and the fourth fifth-year senior, joining Amari Williams, Lamont Butler, and Andrew Carr from Drexler, San Diego State and Wake Forest, respectively. The other transfers are rising sophomore Brandon Garrison of Oklahoma State and junior Otega Oweh of Oklahoma.
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