Reece Potter is Kentucky's college basketball 'unicorn'

Reece Potter is a member of a rather exclusive club in the men’s college basketball world.

A two-year transfer from Miami (OH), Potter returned home to suit up for his Kentucky Wildcats in the offseason. A solid contributor off the bench for the RedHawks the last two seasons, the big man isn’t expected to play a major role in 2025-26, but he has a unique set of skills that not many in the sport can claim. According to Hoops HQ, a site co-founded by college basketball analyst Seth Davis, Potter is one of the country’s few “unicorns”.

What exactly does being a unicorn mean in this instance? A Division I men’s player clocking in at 7-feet or taller who also shoots the ball at a 32 percent or better clip from three-point range. Potter fits the bill as a 7-foot-1 center who has shot 37-93 (39.8 percent) from deep throughout his college career. Only eight DI players meet this criteria, per Hoops HQ, and one of them even suited up for the Wildcats a couple of years ago.

• Zvonimir Ivišić – Illinois
• Tomislav Ivišić – Illinois
• Amaël L’Etang – Dayton
• Reece Potter – Kentucky
• Nolan Winter – Wisconsin
• Johann Grünloh – Virginia
• Isaac Johnson – Hawai’i
• Coen Collier – USC Upstate

Elite Size AND Shooting! The 8
🦄“Unicorns”🦄 of D1 basketball in 2025-26:
Zvonimir Ivišić – Illinois
Tomislav Ivišić – Illinois
Amaël L’Etang – Dayton
Reece Potter – Kentucky
Nolan Winter – Wisconsin
Johann Grünloh – Virginia
Isaac Johnson – Hawai’i
Coen Collier – USC Upstate pic.twitter.com/wwAjCw6UoH

— Hoops HQ (@hhqsports) September 24, 2025

Potter hasn’t been mentioned nearly as often as the rest of his 2025-26 Kentucky teammates, but not because of a lack of talent. The Lexington native was a productive player at Miami and will likely have a role on a Mark Pope roster down the road, but playing time will be hard to come by this season. Potter is playing behind potential future NBA players and established SEC veterans in the frontcourt.

But seven-footers who can shoot don’t come along all that often. Potter averaged 6.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game on 36.7 percent outside shooting for the RedHawks last season. He fits the mold of a Mark Pope big man as someone who can stretch the floor with either his passing or shooting — or in Potter’s case, a little bit of both.

“I feel like I shoot the ball at a very high level,” Potter told local reporters in June. “And I’m able to pass. Those are the things (Pope) really liked.”

It feels crazy to say that someone like Potter might be the 14th-best player on this season’s Kentucky team, but that’s how well Pope filled out his roster — to the point where a unicorn might not even see the floor in 2025-26.