Bio Blast: Liberty guard Brett Decker Jr.

The transfer portal window isn’t too far away from opening. We’re now four days out from the April 7 start date. And with that, we have another new potential Kentucky target to keep an eye on.

Liberty guard Brett Decker Jr. is expected to enter his name into the portal next Tuesday. According to Jacob Polacheck of KSR+, the Wildcats will be involved with the 6-foot-3 sophomore. A native of the Bluegrass State, Decker will have two years of eligibility remaining at his next stop. On3 currently has him ranked No. 71 overall — and the 15th-best point guard — among all of the known expected portal entrants.

Decker is one of a handful of portal guards expecting to hear from Kentucky later this month. Let’s get to know him a little bit better with another edition of KSR’s Bio Blast.

A star at Central Hardin High School

Originally from Elizabethtown, Decker graduated from Central Hardin High School, taking home 5th Region Player of the Year awards as a senior and junior. He averaged 21.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and six assists per game as a senior while shooting 54 percent from the field and 36 percent from deep, leading the Bruins to an 18-11 record in the 2023-24 season. He finished with over 2,000 points as a high schooler.

But despite his big numbers, Decker wasn’t highly recruited out of high school. He announced offers from the likes of Morehead State, Tennessee Tech, Austin Peay, and Eastern Kentucky before committing to Liberty in Oct. 2022 as a junior. On3 did not have him ranked in high school, but 247 did consider him a three-star prospect.

A big sophomore jump at Liberty

As a true freshman for the Flames in 2024-25, Decker was a low-level contributor off the bench. He appeared in 27 games, but only managed to average 4.3 points in 6.8 minutes per outing. That said, he still shot 44.2 percent from deep (23-52) and 91.7 percent from the free-throw line (22-24) in his limited playing time. His best performance was a 16-point outing (5-8 FG) on the road against Western Kentucky in just 15 minutes of action. He reached the double-figure mark five times, hitting multiple triples in six contests.

But Decker exploded onto the scene in year two at Liberty. His numbers skyrocketed: 16.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 33.6 minutes per game, starting all 34 games for the Flames, which posted a 26-8 overall record (17-3 CUSA). Decker was extremely efficient shooting the ball with splits of 49.9/47.1/84.8. His three-point percentage led Conference USA and ranked second nationally. Entering as the 1-seed, Liberty was upset in its first game of the CUSA Tournament.

Alongside teammate Zach Cleveland, who was named the CUSA Player of the Year, he and Decker were tabbed to the All-CUSA First Team. Decker also shared the floor at Liberty with a couple of Ashland Blazer (KY) graduates in sophomore Colin Porter and freshman Zander Carter.

What the advanced stats say about his game

Decker is listed as a point guard, but his game is centered around shooting more than it is playmaking. His assist rate of 5.6 percent ranked him in the 8th percentile nationally among Division I players, per CBB Analytics. Cleveland (6.8 APG) did the bulk of the table-setting for Liberty. Decker isn’t going to attack the glass, get to the free line regularly, or create much havoc on defense.

But what he does better than most players in the entire country is shoot the leather off the ball. His true shooting percentage of 65.7 ranked him in the 98th percentile among all players. 61 percent of his shots last season came from long range. He’s a quick trigger shooter with deep range who doesn’t need much space to knock them down, whether that be coming off screens or catching and shooting. Decker is a low-turnover, low-foul player who can change a game instantly with his offensive skills.

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