After being hired to replace John Calipari as Kentucky head coach, Mark Pope has landed one of the best players remaining in the transfer portal.

Dayton transfer guard Koby Brea announced on Wednesday that he has committed to play for Pope and Kentucky:

Brea is coming off a historic shooting season for the Flyers. Per ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, he became the fourth player in college basketball history to make 100 three-pointers while connecting on 50 percent of his attempts, joining Salim Stoudamire (2005), Mike Iuzzolino (1991) and Steve Kerr (1988).

Givony noted that Brea chose the Wildcats over a long list of suitors that included Duke, North Carolina, Kansas and back-to-back reigning national champion UConn.

Growing up, I was told I was dreaming too big whenever I’d say my dream was to play for the University of Kentucky,” Brea said. “I feel like God does everything for a reason, and He has put me in a position where I’m able to play for my dream school in my last year of college, while playing for something bigger than myself.”

Brea added that playing for Pope, whose BYU team ranked third in three-point attempts this past season, was a big reason for his decision.

“His style of play complements my strengths as a basketball player,” Brea said. “He’s proven to be one of the best when it comes to utilizing the 3-pointer. There’s nobody in college basketball who can shoot off the catch, off the bounce and off the move all together the way I do.”

Brea had declared for the NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility and entering the transfer portal, and he ultimately decided to return for his senior season. He’s now the sixth transfer to commit to Kentucky, joining fifth-year seniors Amari Williams (Drexel), Lamont Butler (San Diego State) and Andrew Carr (Wake Forest) junior Otega Oweh (Oklahoma) and sophomore Brandon Garrison (Oklahoma State).

Dayton transfer Koby Brea, one of the nation’s best 3-point shooters, announced his commitment to Kentucky on Wednesday. Later in the day, point guard Kerr Kriisa also joined the Kentucky program, raising the number of newcomers to nine since Mark Pope became coach of the Wildcats. Kriisa played three seasons for Arizona before spending 2023-24 at West Virginia. He is a native of Estonia and confirmed his decision to ESPN. Brea, a 6-foot-6 guard, drained 100 treys at a national-leading 49.8 percent clip during his fourth season with the Flyers in 2023-24. He averaged 11.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 33 games (four starts). The two-time Atlantic 10 Conference Sixth Man of the Year chose the Wildcats over Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, UConn and others. “Growing up, I was told I was dreaming too big whenever I’d say my dream was to play for the University of Kentucky,” Brea told ESPN. “I feel like God does everything for a reason, and He has put me in a position where I’m able to play for my dream school in my last year of college, while playing for something bigger than myself.” Brea averaged 7.9 points and 3.1 rebounds and shot 43.4 percent from behind the arc over 113 games (21 starts) at Dayton. He made 224 treys and just 86 two-point baskets. Pope recruited Brea on two occasions during his stint at BYU but came up empty both times. Brea is a good fit for Pope, whose BYU squad ranked third in the country last season in 3-pointers made per game (11.1). Kriisa sports career averages of 9.7 points and 4.7 assists and has knocked down 238 3-pointers in 99 games (93 starts). In his lone season at West Virginia, he averaged 11 points and 4.7 assists in 23 games (all starts). He made 61 3-pointers after twice making 80 or more for Arizona. Brea and Kriisa become the sixth and seventh transfer additions for Pope, along with guards Lamont Butler (San Diego State) and Otega Oweh (Oklahoma) and forwards Andrew Carr (Wake Forest), Brandon Garrison (Oklahoma State) and Amari Williams (Drexel). In addition, incoming freshmen guards Collin Chandler and Travis Perry have joined the program. –Field Level Media

Growing up, I was told I was dreaming too big whenever I’d say my dream was to play for the University of Kentucky,” Brea said. “I feel like God does everything for a reason, and He has put me in a position where I’m able to play for my dream school in my last year of college, while playing for something bigger than myself.”

Brea added that playing for Pope, whose BYU team ranked third in three-point attempts this past season, was a big reason for his decision.

“His style of play complements my strengths as a basketball player,” Brea said. “He’s proven to be one of the best when it comes to utilizing the 3-pointer. There’s nobody in college basketball who can shoot off the catch, off the bounce and off the move all together the way I do.”

Brea had declared for the NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility and entering the transfer portal, and he ultimately decided to return for his senior season. He’s now the sixth transfer to commit to Kentucky, joining fifth-year seniors Amari Williams (Drexel), Lamont Butler (San Diego State) and Andrew Carr (Wake Forest) junior Otega Oweh (Oklahoma) and sophomore Brandon Garrison (Oklahoma State).