Reese Potter, center, with the Miami (Ohio) coaches. (Twitter Photo)
One of the state’s most highly anticipated games this high school basketball season will be played Saturday night at Lexington Catholic.
Kentucky signee Reed Sheppard and North Laurel will take on Lyon County and standout junior guard Travis Perry who is on his way to becoming the state’s all-time leading scorer.
Those teams will play at 7 p.m. but there’s also another game that night when host Lexington Catholic (14-1) will play Male at 5:30. That will give fans a chance to see Miami (Ohio) signee Reece Potter, a 7-footer averaging 19.2 points and 9.3 rebounds per game and shooting 57 percent overall from the field, 42 percent (11 of 26) from 3 and 76 percent at the foul line.
“He has gotten a ton better this year,” Lexington Catholic coach Brandon Salsman said. “I am very proud of what he has done.”
He helped the Knights beat a loaded field to win the White, Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic. He had just six points and six rebounds in the opening 77-43 win over Christian Academy-Louisville when he was still battling a winter illness. However, the next day against then No. 5 Bowling Green he had 18 points, 13 rebounds, three steals and two blocks in a 61-44 win.
Potter followed that with 11 points and 13 rebounds in a win over No. 10 Lyon County and had a team-high 16 points against North Oldham in the tourney title game. If that’s not impressive enough, he scored 28 points on 11 of 17 shooting Tuesday night in a dramatic comeback win over Lexington Christian.
“He’s worked so hard on everything, including his 3-point shooting,” Salsman said. “He’s the new type of big man and fits that mold perfectly. He had been a guard his whole life and then grew six or seven inches.
“He’s a 7-footer with ball handling skills and passing ability who can hit the 3. He’s pretty special.”
Salsman believes Miami (Ohio) is a perfect spot for Potter’s collegiate career.
“The big thing was to be able to go where he could play immediately,” Salsman said. “I think it is a really good place for him and I hope he will be able to get some early playing time.
“I really think he has the potential to make money one day playing basketball. He’s that good.”
