By Cabral Opiyo
Former Kentucky Wildcats star Koby Brea was drafted No. 41 overall by the Golden State Warriors before being included in a trade package deal that sent him to the Phoenix Suns. Brea played for the Wildcats for one season after spending four years with the Dayton Flyers.Brea is represented by highly touted agent Erika Ruiz under the umbrella of Klutch Sports. NBA great Trevor Ariza’s son, Tajh Ariza celebrated Ruiz’s input in getting Brea drafted by reposting a graphic about her on Instagram stories, captioning it:”The best Ina bizz.”Ariza’s IG storiesErika Ruiz has made a name for herself in the NBA after snagging stellar deals for NBA stars like Fred VanVleet with the Houston Rockets and Jarred Vanderbilt with the Lakers. She also represents five-star prospect and class of 2026 talent, Tajh Ariza.Koby Brea praised for sharp shooting from deepKoby Brea garnered a reputation as a sharp shooter from deep throughout his college basketball career, both with the Dayton Flyers and the Kentucky Wildcats. After entering the transfer portal from Dayton to Kentucky last season, he went 93-of-214 (43.5%) and tied for the seventh most 3-pointers in a season in Wildcats history. Brea made 36 appearances for the Wildcats, averaging 11.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists, shooting 47%.After the draft, Phoenix Suns general manager Brian Gregory highlighted Brea’s shooting as an asset and predicted that it would translate to the NBA.鈥淭he one thing is he, obviously, he鈥檚 (Brea) proven during his entire career at Dayton and at Kentucky, how good he is shooting the ball,鈥 Gregory said. 鈥淏ut every year he鈥檚 gotten better and better and added another dimension to the shooting.鈥淲here maybe early it was spot-ups, then it became off some pin downs and stagger screen actions, then it came off of actions off the dribble, then it was a little bit of the NBA, with the side-step 3鈥檚 and the step back 3鈥檚. So that progression that we were able to evaluate and watch, was a big reason for us taking him. He is an NBA 3-point shooter.鈥滽oby Brea had said that one of the reasons he joined coach Mark Pope’s Kentucky Wildcats is to improve his game and make him NBA-ready. His selection in the 2025 NBA draft ensured that the Wildcats’ record of having a player picked in the draft continued since 2007.