Breaking: Kentuckys’ top-three Sharpshooting Guard, has officially withdrawn from the 2024 NBA Draft.

Koby Brea, a guard from Kentucky who was ranked among the top three-point shooters in the nation last season, has officially withdrawn from the 2024 NBA Draft.

The 6-foot-6 guard averaged three made threes on 6.1 tries per game while playing at Dayton last season, shooting 49.8 percent from outside the arc.

In terms of three-point field goal percentage, he was third in the nation, only behind Wofford’s Chase Cormier (51.6 percent) and former Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard (52.1 percent), who announced his decision to enter the 2024 NBA Draft on April 18.

On May 1, Brea made a commitment to the Wildcats, but he tested his mettle at the next level by keeping an eye on the NBA Draft.

He’s a big boost to the Wildcats, who according to On3’s transfer portal team rankings are ranked 45th in the nation.

In his first offseason as head coach, Mark Pope had a lot on his plate as some of Kentucky’s best players either left for the NBA Draft or followed former head coach John Calipari to Arkansas.

Brea is the seventh addition made through the transfer portal, where Pope assembled his first Wildcats team. Kentucky is ranked 39th in the Composite 2024 recruiting rankings by 247 Sports.

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next their conversations, all three of the players who were considering the NBA Draft for Kentucky made the decision to go back to school and compete in Lexington the next season.

Despite being among the most successful basketball programs in the transfer portal this spring, there were still some concerns regarding the roster because the names of four players were included in the NBA Draft pool.

With the May 29 NBA Draft withdrawal deadline drawing near, player after player gradually revealed they will be joining the Wildcats.

Mark Pope’s initial commitment came from Drexel transfer big man Amari Williams. Following him were guard Lamont Butler of San Diego State, big man Andrew Carr of Wake Forest, and Dayton wing Koby Brea. Now, as the summer approaches, Kentucky’s whole roster is still intact.

Even though it was anticipated that all four athletes would return to college, you never know in this day and age.

This season, Williams, a 230-pound center who is six feet ten inches tall, averaged 12.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. He finished with eight double-doubles and ten games with ten or more rebounds.

Pope said of Williams, “He is a three-time conference defensive player of the year, which is extremely hard to do.” He will be a formidable rim-protector and rebounder who commands attention from opponents. Amari is a talented defensive player who can play any position on the court, from one to five, which will give everyone else a sense of security.”

Williams was the biggest unknown during the entire transfer process. He didn’t know what the rest of the roster will look like because he was Pope’s initial commit. Eventually, as Kentucky started to cover gaps, his camp started to express some concerns about the nature of his role. Williams was on the verge of resuming his recruiting after bringing in Andrew Carr and Brandon Garrison, but Pope’s late-night visit kept him in town.

For the Aztecs this season, Butler averaged 9.3 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.6 rebounds per game. Butler gained notoriety two years before to SDSU’s defeat by UConn in the National Championship game, during the Aztecs’ Final Four journey. In the Final Four versus FAU, he hit the buzzer-beater that won the game.

Pope declared, “Lamont Butler is the epitome of a winner.” “He may be the top perimeter defender in college basketball right now. Lamont made one of the most spectacular shots in the NCAA Tournament to advance his team to the championship game. He has assisted in leading championship teams for the previous four years.”

Carr, who is likely the most significant addition in terms of his abilities and Mark Pope’s preferred offensive scheme, finished the previous season with an average of 13.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 37.1 percent from three-point range.

Pope stated, “Andrew understands the meaning of wearing this jersey, the assignment, and the purpose of his trip to Lexington.” “Every team he has ever been a part of, he has served as captain. Kentucky fans will adore him as a wonderful leader and a stabilizing influence.

Brea, who finished as the top three-point shooter in the country the previous season, will be essential to Pope’s attack because of his ability to score from outside the area.

In addition to shooting 49.8 percent from three this season, he averaged 11.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists.

Pope continued, “Koby Brea is the best returning shooter in college basketball next year and, by the numbers, the most efficient mid-to-high major player in the last ten years.” Koby is a wonderful man with an amazing family, but he is also a dangerous man.”

Pope made the correct choices regarding his four major draft deadlines, but one is still under consideration. Jaxson Robinson, a guard for BYU, is that.

If Robinson does not enter the NBA Draft, he will probably wind up at Kentucky or Kansas. Robinson would be the final component Kentucky’s current squad is missing. He can remove his name from the draft until 11:59 pm ET.

Time will tell, but thus far Pope and the Wildcats have had a very successful—and rather anticipated—week.