Head coach Mark Pope thinks he can also get better in other areas in addition to his 3-point shooting.
Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope was poised to bring in a lethal 3-point shooting element to Kentucky’s offense. Combine that with bringing in Dayton transfer Koby Brea, and the Wildcats were poised to be one of the best shooting teams from deep in the country.
Brea led the nation with a 48.9 3-point field goal percentage last year at Dayton. So far this season, Brea is 15-19 from 3-tpoint range through four games with the Wildcats. That’s 78.9%. The single-season record at Kentucky is 52.9%, set by Travis Ford in 1994.
But it’s not just Brea’s shooting that has him off to a good start this season. Brea is also averaging five rebounds per game after having seven boards in the Wildcats’ 97-68 win over Lipscomb.
Brea has multiple 3-point makes in every game this season, including six against Bucknell. He has double-digit points in three of four games this season and is shooting 66.7% from the field overall through four games this season.
“I’m just trying to show different parts of my game, whether it’s playmaking or rebounding,” Brea said on Tuesday night. “Just not trying to be one-dimensional.”
As for what head coach Mark Pope hopes where Brea can grow, this is what he had to say.
“I would like him to grow in that sense about being able to probe more downhill, more confidently, more off-the-wall creating space. So, I would like him to continue to be a really dangerous, huge-energy cutter,” said Pope.
“He probably doesn’t manufacture as much as he can yet. He’s such a lethal shooter, and teams are going to overplay, and overplay, and overplay more, and he can really kill teams as a cutter, and that’s a place in this game where he’s growing. So, there is a lot of growth for him.”
Kentucky takes on Jackson State Friday night at 7 PM at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. The game can be seen on SEC Network+ and heard on the UK Sports Network.