Not Punk'd: Potter returns home to live out dream with Cats
One of the more surprising additions to Kentucky’s transfer portal class this spring was a homegrown player who wasn’t even sure if his initial contact with the Wildcats was legit or something along the lines of a prank.
When UK reached out to former Lexington Catholic and Miami RedHawks center Reece Potter, even his father pumped the proverbial brakes.
“Coach (Cody) Fueger messaged me, and when he reached out, I didn’t believe it, that Kentucky reached out to me,” Potter said during an introductory Q&A session with the local media on Monday at the Craft Center. “I showed my dad because I was actually in Lexington at the time. I said, dad, I think Kentucky is reaching out to me. He said, nah, you’re lying.”
His next contact was with UK head coach Mark Pope. The enormous opportunity awaiting Potter began to sink in, even though he took his time to ensure he was making the right decision.
After about a week, he let friends and fellow in-state stars Malachi Moreno and Jasper Johnson know he was going to join them in Lexington.
“When I told them, they were like, ‘Finally,’” Potter said. “For about a week, Malachi and Jasper were saying if you don’t commit right now, we’re going to come to your house (and make you).”
Potter, a skilled 7-foot-1 center, was the 2023 Lexington Player of the Year and a finalist for Kentucky’s “Mr. Basketball” award before signing with Miami.
In two seasons with the RedHawks, he averaged 6.3 points and 3.4 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per game while shooting close to 40% from the 3-point arc. Last year, he had six double-figure games, including a career-high 19 points against Sacred Heart.
Miami went 25-9 overall, 14-4 in MAC play, and reached the conference tournament championship game, but Potter entered the transfer portal seeking an opportunity to play on a bigger stage.
“I always wanted to play at the highest level,” he said. “That’s always been my goal. The last couple of years, we’ve been trying to compete for a MAC championship and compete for upsets and stuff like that, and that’s not really been my mindset. I came from a top high school in the state, and the goal wasn’t to get out of the region, it was to win the state, to be the No. 1 team in the state. So it’s always been my mindset… I want to compete against the best people.”
He’ll get that opportunity at Kentucky. And not just against opponents that the Cats will face. Each day in practice, he’ll be challenged by a projected NBA lottery pick in fellow transfer Jayden Quaintance, a talented veteran big man in Brandon Garrison, and his old friend Moreno.
“I’m going to be able to learn from them and grow my game in practice every day,” said Potter, noting that adding weight and strength are big keys for him now that he’s at UK.
“Every single day, you see something in practice that’s like, ‘Wow.’”
Potter, who trained in high school with former UK center Daniel Orton, was impressed with the way Pope developed Amari Williams’ all-around game last season. Williams, who began his college career in similar modest fashion at Drexel University, was drafted by the Boston Celtics last week.
Last season at Miami, Potter had five games with multiple 3-point shots made and three games with four or more assists.
“I feel like I shoot the ball at a high level and can pass,” he said. “Those are things (Pope) likes. He was able to use Amari Williams and BG last year in more of a ‘point center’ type of way… That’s kinda how the game has evolved.”
“He is a lengthy big who has a unique combination of mobility and skill,” Pope said upon announcing Potter’s addition to the program. “Fits into what we do exceptionally well. And, most importantly, he truly understands what it means to wear the Kentucky jersey.”
“It’s been a blast,” Potter said. “It’s been like everything you dream of as a kid… an unreal experience.”