Several players had strong performances Tuesday, but Dayton transfer Koby Brea stood out the most.
Known for being one of College Basketball’s top three-point shooters as he shot 49.8 from three-point range last season, Brea was even better than advertised Monday.
For much of his time at Dayton, Brea was known best for catching and shooting. On Monday, he did both at a high level while also shooting the lights out of the ball from three off the dribble in drills and 5-on-5 work.
The biggest question for Brea entering the season will be his health.
Brea missed the start of UK’s summer practice slate, while Chandler was sidelined for a few September practices.
Injuries have hampered the sharpshooting Brea throughout his college career.
Ahead of the 2023-24 season, he was unable, let alone stand on his own two feet due to injury after he had rods inserted in both lower legs to address stress fractures in his tibias on April 6 of, 2023.
“People don’t know much about the whole process last year,” Brea said in June. “The first two months (after surgery), I was in a wheelchair; I couldn’t do anything. Then, the next two months, I was on a walker and then crutches, so I literally came back for my first workout two weeks before the season, so I only had two weeks to really get some work in and get my body feeling like, right to a place where I can actually play.
“Then once the game started rolling, it kind of gets a little crazy, but I was able to manage it all.”
Brea eased into UK’s summer workouts with his injury history in mind.
“A big part of why I backed out of the draft and everything and didn’t do a lot of my workouts was because I just wanted to make sure that I was completely healthy going into this new year,” Brea said. “It was kind of something that me and my agent talked about after the season, I wasn’t feeling too great. The conversations with my agent and my family were just like, ‘Let’s take a step back so we can take a couple of steps forward later on.
“We just took some time off to finally heal from my previous injury and I feel a lot better now, so I’m really glad that I did that.”
If healthy, don’t expect much of a drop-off and don’t be surprised if that three-point shooting average improves this winter.
