Knock, knock: Koby Brea surprised one of his biggest fans at her doorstep

by:Drew Franklin•about 8 hours•

DrewFranklinKSR

koby-brea-kentucky-fan — (Photo submitted to KSR)

When Debbie Huffman answered a knock on her door on the Monday of NCAA Tournament week, she couldn’t believe who was standing in front of her. Koby Brea, Debbie’s favorite Kentucky Wildcat, stopped by Debbie’s house for a surprise visit a day after Debbie’s birthday.

Debbie told KSR, “I just stared and my eyes were seeing him but my brain was saying, why would Brea be on my front porch?? Why??”

It’s a reasonable question. Why would Koby Brea be at Debbie’s doorstep, or anyone’s doorstep for that matter, the day after Selection Sunday, before he heads to Milwaukee to begin Kentucky‘s NCAA Tournament run?

The answer: Debbie’s husband, Bill, spotted Brea leaving another house in the neighborhood and asked if he would follow him down the street to meet one of his biggest fans. Without hesitation, Brea followed Bill home, where Bill hid while Brea rang the doorbell to give Debbie the surprise of a lifetime.

“It took a second before it registered who it was and all I could think to do was hug him,” Debbie explained. “Definitely a life-changing moment for me. He has the most beautiful, genuine, heartfelt smile I have ever seen! He is truly a class act, and so deserving of representing BBN. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Brea!”

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Debbie’s son, Alex, received a phone call from his mom right away. He described her emotions as completely shocked and as happy as she’d been in a long time.

“You would have thought she hit the lottery,” Alex told KSR. “She had nothing but great things to say about Koby and just kept saying how polite and well mannered he was.”

Brea’s impromptu visit is another example of the impact that Kentucky Basketball has on others and how Mark Pope’s first team in Lexington is full of standup guys. And how about husband Bill shooting his shot by asking Brea to follow him, a complete stranger, to meet a fan?

It’s a great story as Brea gets set to play in his only NCAA Tournament as a Wildcat, and a happy belated birthday to Debbie.