Mark Pope breaks down what makes Koby Brea best shooter in college basketball

When Koby Brea puts up a shot, Kentucky fans collectively hold their breath, confidently waiting to watch the ball sink through the net. They aren’t alone. After Kentucky’s hard-fought 106-100 win over Florida on Saturday, Wildcats head coach Mark Pope raved about the standout shooting guard.

“He was magical tonight, wasn’t he?” Pope said. “I don’t know, you are hard-pressed to make a real cogent argument that he’s not the best shooter in the country, it’s just ridiculous. The way he shoots it, how he gets it off, where he shoots it, how high he shoots it.”

In the win, Brea connected on 7-of-his-9 attempts from beyond the arc, tallying 23 total points. With the performance, Brea is now shooting 52.3% from 3-point range this season, the highest mark in the country.

Brea is more than just a spot-up shooter. The Dayton transfer mixes in an endless cycle of pump fakes, stepbacks and cuts to keep his defenders constantly guessing when he’s going to shoot. Brea’s ability to score at all three levels forces his defenders to give him enough breathing room to get off his quick release.

While Brea is often the star of the show for Kentucky, he’s also a sparkplug. Brea is Kentucky’s sixth man this season and fire-starter for the days the Wildcats are having a cold start. Pope knows just how valuable Brea is to his team’s success.

“Clearly, he was massively important for us and he was also another huge catalyst in those runs,” Pope said. “We had some fatigue on the floor and had to go with some makeshift lineups maybe that were a little heavier on different guys than traditionally we do.

“Koby was like, ‘Don’t worry — I got it. I’m just going to make shots.’ He was spectacular. He has also grown immensely on the defensive end. He’s also like the most beautiful kid you are ever going to meet man, he’s special.”

Despite the avalanche of praise that came his way after the game, Koby Brea remained humble.

“It felt good, honestly. I didn’t really notice what was going on, I don’t really pay too much attention to how many I’ve been hitting throughout the game,” Brea said. “To hear it afterward is pretty cool.

“I think whenever you’re able to accomplish a career-high, it’s always a good feeling. It’s just me doing what I do. My teammates, they give me the utmost confidence and I’m gonna keep shooting.”