Koby Brea doesn't want to be known as just a shooter: 'There's a lot more to my game.'

Koby Brea has (understandably) been labeled as a three-point specialist. He was statistically the nation’s best college shooter in 2023-24 at 49.8 percent on 6.1 attempts per game. As a career 43.4 percent three-point marksman, “coin flip shooter” is tossed around when his name is mentioned. At 6-foot-7 with a high release point, his jumper is tough for any opposing guard (and even some wings) to defend.

During his Kentucky debut, Brea went a perfect 4-4 from deep in a 103-62 win against Wright State. He didn’t even need to watch the fourth and final triple go in — he was that confident in his form. But he was effective inside as well. In his 20 minutes of action off the bench, Brea finished with 18 points. He went 3-4 from the field on non-three-point shots. The way he found those looks was especially encouraging when thinking about his overall offensive impact moving forward with the rest of the season.

“I think that was something I focused in on a lot this summer; evolving from a shooter to an all-around player,” Brea said after the Wright State game. “I continue to be labeled as a shooter and I want to be more than that. I know it’s gonna be harder to get those type of shots and people are gonna keep closing out hard, so now it’s the next thing. What am I gonna 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 a little bit.”

In the first half against Wright State, Brea pulled in a defensive rebound and began to push up the floor. He quickly got himself into a two-man game with center Brandon Garrison. Brea went around Garrison’s screen, wiggled his way into the paint, put a shoulder into his defender, and lofted up a beautiful floater that dropped right in. He’s bigger and stronger than given credit.

In the middle of the second half, Brea received a pass from Kerr Kriisa, who was racing up the floor after a made shot by Wright State. Brea caught the ball on the right side of the perimeter, dug his right foot into the ground with a hard fake, and then immediately changed direction to his left where he worked his way to the rim for an easy left-handed layup.

His third make from inside the arc happened deep into the second half with the game well out of reach, but it came off a simple backdoor cut to the rim. Garrison slipped in a pass in close quarters and Brea finished on the other side of the rim.

“Everyone knows he’s a great three-point shooter,” Kentucky center Amari Williams said of Brea. “Him having the confidence to get in the paint and draw fouls, land on two (feet), and just be able to score them layups, it changes the team a lot.”

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope has built Kentucky’s offense off the ability to play fast, move the ball, and shoot threes. It’s why Brea was such an important (and highly sought-after) pickup in the transfer portal. Teams are going to crash especially hard when he’s lining up a shot from deep. Driving and passing lanes will open because of it. His pure gravity as a shooter will create space for his teammates and himself as a cutter.

Brea will likely continue to come off the bench as Kentucky’s super-sub, something he’s used to from his time at Dayton as a two-time Sixth Man of the Year winner in the Atlantic 10. He and Garrison were the first two to check in as substitutions for the ‘Cats. His 20 minutes were tied for the fifth-most amongst his teammates. But for Brea, it doesn’t matter when he hits the floor — he just wants to contribute.

“It’s something I told (Pope) I don’t really care about, if I’m being honest with you,” Brea said about coming off the bench or starting. “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.”