Every preseason, there’s a player who turns heads, shatters expectations, and makes coaches rethink the entire game plan. This year, for Kentucky Wildcats basketball, that player might just be Koby Brea — the sharpshooter currently ranked No. 3 on the team’s preseason charts but looking dangerously close to overtaking the top spot.
If the numbers from practice are any indication, Brea isn’t just knocking on the door — he’s about to kick it down. Coaches have privately noted that he’s posting the highest three-point shooting percentage in scrimmages (an eye-popping 47.8%), while maintaining a plus/minus rating that outpaces even the Wildcats’ star starters.
But it’s not just the shooting. Brea’s defensive metrics have spiked during camp — he’s averaging 2.1 steals per scrimmage, showing quicker reads on passing lanes, and locking down some of Kentucky’s most dangerous scorers in one-on-one drills. According to insiders, his stamina work in the weight room has been “off the charts,” with conditioning tests placing him in the top 5% of the entire roster.
Even more telling? Players are talking. In hushed locker room conversations and post-practice laughs, teammates are admitting that Brea has been “the toughest guy to guard” in recent weeks. One veteran even called him “the most improved player in camp by a mile.”
If this trajectory holds, the Wildcats’ preseason depth chart might need a serious rewrite. And if Brea keeps dropping long-range daggers the way he’s been doing in practice, Kentucky fans could see him rise from No. 3 to the undisputed No. 1 option before the season even tips off.
The rest of the SEC has been warned.
