Kentucky
Thursday Headlines: Koby Brea and Kerr Kriisa Edition
If you are a fan of the Kentucky Wildcats, then Wednesday was an awesome day as the basketball program landed two more commitments for the 2024-25 season.
Dayton transfer Koby Brea was the first addition to the roster on Wednesday as he announced he would be taking his talents to Kentucky.
Brea was a 3-point shooting machine last season, averaging 11.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists while shooting 49% from 3.
In an interview with ESPN, Brea said it was always his dream to be a Wildcat.
“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.”
A perfect fit for Mark Pope’s system and a massive get for the Wildcats heading into next season.
The second domino that fell on Wednesday was former Arizona and West Virginia guard Kerr Kriisa committing to the Cats.
Kriisa is another sharpshooting guard, as he averaged 11 points, 4.7 assists, and 2.5 rebounds last season while shooting 42% from 3.
The biggest blemish on Kriisa’s game is the 2.9 turnovers per game, but hopefully we see that number drop back to the 1.3 range we saw his freshman year.
While at BYU, Pope actually recruited Kriisa twice. The first was in 2020 when Pope flew to Lithuania to try and secure his commitment out of high school. The second was when he was looking for a new home after leaving Arizona. The third time proved to be the charm for Pope.
Pope’s roster now sits at eight with these two additions, and he is now just a couple of pieces away from putting together a very good roster in year one as the Kentucky head coach.
Tweet(s) of the Day
Good times.
Headlines
Koby Brea, Nation’s 3-Point Leader, Joins Wildcats – UK Athletics
Led the country in 3-point percentage at 49.8% with a minimum of 2.5 makes per game.
Film Room: Kerr Kriisa – On3
Kentucky landed their second commitment of the day, and sixth in six days, in West Virginia’s Kerr Kriisa on Wednesday afternoon.
Kenny Brooks Has Hired Ciara Gregory as an Assistant Coach, Director of Recruiting Operations – UK Athletics
Gregory spent the last five seasons at Charlotte.
Dayton transfer Koby Brea brings 3-point prowess to Kentucky – ESPN
Dayton transfer Koby Brea has committed to Kentucky, picking the Wildcats over a list of schools that included Duke, North Carolina, Kansas and UConn.
Dan Hurley says ‘no way’ he would have left UConn for Kentucky to replace John Calipari – CBSSports
Hurley addressed the rumors of him being a top candidate for the Kentucky job
Laney Frye Selected to All-SEC First Team, Marissa Wenzler Named to SEC Community Service Team – UK Athletics
Frye owns a 70.7 stroke average through 26 rounds thus far.
Film Room: Koby Brea – On3
Dayton’s Koby Brea, the best shooter in college basketball, became Kentucky’s fifth commitment in six days on Wednesday afternoon.
West Virginia transfer Kerr Kriisa commits to Kentucky – ESPN
West Virginia transfer Kerr Kriisa has committed to Kentucky, he told ESPN on Wednesday.
LeBron James should leave Lakers and sign with 76ers if his primary goal is a fifth championship – CBSSports
The Lakers are no longer LeBron’s best chance at winning
Former Florida Atlantic star Johnell Davis commits to Arkansas – ESPN
Former Florida Atlantic star guard Johnell Davis, one of the best players in the transfer portal, announced his commitment to Arkansas on Wednesday.
Kenny Brooks hires Charlotte’s Ciara Gregory as Assistant Coach, Director of Recruiting Operations
Kenny Brooks continues to fill out his debut coaching staff at Kentucky, this time bringing in Charlotte’s Ciara Gregory.
MBB recruiting – Meet the new No. 1s in the 2025, 2026 and 2027 classes – ESPN
Paul Biancardi introduces the new No. 1 prospects in the next three recruiting classes.
USC, UCLA set for two games each at Big Ten’s easternmost schools – ESPN
The USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins men’s basketball programs will play two road games apiece against the Big Ten’s easternmost schools.
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark says league’s coaches are in favor of NCAA Tournament expansion – CBSSports
The Big 12 leader is just the latest college basketball power broker to advocate for a larger NCAA Tournament field. Booooo.
Kentucky
Kentucky is poised to land either Donnie Freeman or Sebastian Rancik this weekend, per report
Jones posted on Twitter that “Kentucky will have (absent a major change) either Freeman or Rancik by tomorrow,” while also noting the Wildcats still need to add another shooter and another big to round out the roster.
One of the top targets is Donnie Freeman, a 6-foot-9, 205-pound sophomore forward transferring from Syracuse. Freeman arrived in Lexington on Tuesday night and began his visit on Wednesday before leaving without a commitment. While there was concern he could land at UConn, that visit has since been canceled, leaving Kentucky and St. John’s as the top teams.
Freeman averaged 16.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game last season, while adding nearly a block and a steal per contest. He shot 47.4% from the field but 30.2% from 3-point range across 23 games.
The other option is Sebastian Rancik, a 6-foot-11, 220-pound sophomore forward transferring from Colorado. Rancik visited Kentucky starting Wednesday through Thursday and brings a versatile skill set, averaging 12.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2 assists per game while shooting 33.1% from 3.
Either Freeman or Rancik would provide a significant boost at the power forward position for head coach Mark Pope. Kentucky has already added guards Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins in the portal.
Kentucky
Kentucky football spring game offers early look at Will Stein’s Cats
Kentucky football coach Will Stein reflects on new position
Will Stein was officially introduced to fans and media as the head coach for the Kentucky Wildcats, replacing Mark Stoops.
LEXINGTON — Kentucky football had its first spring game under new coach Will Stein at Kroger Field on Saturday.
The offense, in blue jerseys, had its moments. So too the defense, donning white uniforms.
Ultimately, the blue squad earned a 23-18 victory in a game called just after noon because of inclement weather.
Stein admitted he “got emotional” as he charged onto the field prior to kickoff.
“I know it wasn’t a real game, but when I ran on the field, I definitely — man, I felt it,” he said. “It was like a wave running over me. And very, very, just cool.”
While it doesn’t count in the standings, Stein walked away pleased.
“I think we got a lot of really good work,” he said. “That’s the goal of spring is to improve with fundamentals and technique, learn how to practice, learn what winning edges that we need throughout spring to go into summer and fall and prepare the team for play. And we came out of the scrimmage clean. There (were) no injuries, which to me, that’s the biggest win of the day. I could (not) care less about the score.
“If we come out clean, that’s good. The Wildcats won.”
New starting QB Kenny Minchey looked about as expected, with sharp passes evened out by moments of inconsistency. Martels Carter Jr., a defensive back who is lining up at running back this spring, scored a touchdown and had several nice runs.
And the defense forced multiple three-and-outs and also picked off one Minchey pass on a two-point conversion.
This story will be updated.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
Kentucky
Kentucky has reportedly moved on from top-10 transfer Paulius Murauskas

-
Washington, D.C4 minutes agoStorm Team4 Forecast: A chilly, gusty Sunday before a cool start to the week
-
Cleveland, OH10 minutes agoWinners and Losers From Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Playoffs Game 1
-
Austin, TX16 minutes agoStorms dump small hail throughout Austin area Saturday
-
Alabama22 minutes agoYMCA of South Alabama holds Healthy Kids Day in Spanish Fort
-
Alaska28 minutes ago
Bear injures two US soldiers during military training in Alaska | The Jerusalem Post
-
Arizona34 minutes agoNFL mock draft: 4-round projections for Arizona Cardinals
-
Arkansas40 minutes agoNo. 6 Arkansas ends top-ranked OU’s 31-game home winning streak with 3-2 decision
-
California46 minutes ago
Billionaire Steyer’s spending binge dwarfs rival campaigns in California governor’s race