By Keith Taylor
Kentucky Today
Koby Brea doesn’t mind being a backup shooting guard. He’s used to it.
Throughout his collegiate career, Brea has become accustomed to making contributions as one of the first players off the bench. In Kentucky’s first five games, Brea is shooting a blistering 74.1 percent from the 3-point line and has made 20 shots from long range this season. Going into Tuesday’s contest against Western Kentucky, Brea is averaging a career-high 16 points per game.
“Over the years, I (have) just gotten used to it,” Brea said Monday. “I pretty much have a routine when I’m coming in the game, and then everybody talks about, you know, how coming off the bench is not the best thing, whatever. But for me, I see it as a pretty good thing.”
The biggest advantage, Brea said, is getting a look at the opposing team and observing both ends of the court.
“I get to see the game before I get in,” Brea said. “I get to see how the other team is guarding us and I get to see our guys, how they’re playing, who’s high, who’s not.
“I kind of just read the game from the outside, and then I come in and I’m able to do what I have to do. I think it’s a pretty good opportunity for me before I get into a game.”
Brea, who made five three-pointers in a win over Jackson State on Friday night, takes the same approach regardless of his status on the court against any given opponent.
“I try not to think about it too much (and) I just play my game,” Brea said. “I don’t see any game differently. I don’t treat any possessions differently. I’m just going out there and I’m just playing with my brothers. At the end of the day, I just got to stick to the game plan and we all just try to win.”
The Wildcats have scored 90 or more points in their first four home games for the first time in school history, but have also been making strides on the defensive end of the floor.
“Individually, I see everybody getting better,” Brea said Monday. “But even more than that, our team is just really connected defensively. The more games we go, the better it gets. We start to see more clips on film of how connected our team is defensively and how many kills we’re getting, three stops in a row. Every game, that’s something we take pride in. It’s something the coaches are doing that’s funny, they call it ‘Ball of Duty.’”
The Hilltoppers (3-2), Brea said, are similar to Duke, especially on the defensive side of the ball. The eighth-ranked Wildcats defeated the Blue Devils 77-72 earlier this month in the State Farm Champions Classic.
“I think it’ll be a good challenge for us,” Brea said. “They have some guys that are able to put the ball down and get a bucket. That’s also another challenge for us, just the one-on-one defense and all that. I think it’s a good opportunity for us to just keep growing and keep seeing the different styles of basketball before the conference (season) comes up.”
Gametracker: Western Kentucky at Kentucky, 6:30 p.m., Tuesday. TV/Radio: ESPNU, UK Radio Network.