Mark Pope is the new head coach of the Kentucky basketball team as he is replacing John Calipari, who left for Arkansas. Pope played his college basketball with the Wildcats, and he is now coming back to Lexington as a head coach. He made a big splash in the transfer portal on Wednesday as Dayton basketball transfer Koby Brea decided to commit to Kentucky.

“Growing up, I was told I was dreaming too big whenever I’d say my dream was to play for the University of Kentucky,” Koby Brea said, according to an article from 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 was one of the best players in the transfer portal, and he had a lot of good options in regards to his next destination. Brea decided to go with Kentucky, and Mark Pope being the head coach is a big reason why.

“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.”

This is a huge get for Pope and Kentucky. There are certainly some people questioning the decision to hire Pope, but he should be in good shape if he keeps landing guys like Brea.

Kentucky is Koby Brea’s “dream school”

This is a pretty cool moment for Koby Brea. Like he said, he has been thinking about going to play with Kentucky basketball for a long time. The dream wasn’t too big, and he is now going to play at his dream school.

“In this process, everything moves so quickly,” Brea said. “It was important for me to take my time and prioritize what I needed to take this next step in my career. I feel fortunate to have had these incredible schools recruit me to be a part of their program. And I am proud to commit to my dream school and become a Kentucky Wildcat.”

It’s not often that you grow up and get to play college basketball at your dream school. Brea has that opportunity, and now he wants to help the Wildcats win big.

“The biggest thing I’m looking forward to accomplishing is helping Coach Pope and the University of Kentucky hang another banner,” Brea said. “Switching that 8 with a 9! I’m also looking forward to picking Coach Pope’s brain, expanding my game and being pushed to become the best version of myself every day.”

Koby Brea also obviously wants to get better, and after weighing his options, Kentucky seemed like the best fit for him.

“After discussing with my family and agent, we decided to take this offseason to train like a pro, get stronger and add to my game,” Brea added. “Kentucky is the perfect place to do that, while performing on one of the biggest stages.”

There are a lot of intriguing things to watch next season at Kentucky, and Brea is one of them.