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Former Lexington Catholic 7-footer Reece Potter has played in 56 games the last two seasons at Miami (Ohio) but now he’s ready to return to Lexington to play for coach Mark Pope at Kentucky.
As a freshman he played in 26 games with 11 starts, and averaged 6.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 44 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from 3-point range. Last season Potter played in 30 games off the bench and averaged 6.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from 3.
Pope said recently on a podcast with Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports that he was “scouring the planet” for another roster addition and wouldn’t mind having a player who wanted a year to practice, improve and be redshirted to save a year of eligibility. Potter currently has two years of eligibility remaining.
“He cashed in for an awesome experience for himself,” Lexington Catholic coach Brandon Salsman said about his former player.
Salsman is not surprised by Potter’s rise in the college basketball world.
Here’s what Salsman had to say about Potter midway of his senior season after he had signed with Miami:
“He’s worked so hard on everything, including his 3-point shooting. 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. I really think he has the potential to make money one day playing basketball. He’s that good.”
Pope obviously agrees with that assessment from about 18 months ago even though 247Sports ranked Potter as a three-star transfer and the portal’s 335th best player and 41st best center.
Salsman said he had heard “some rumblings” about what Potter might do and had taken calls from several schools.
“When I started to hear he was looking at UK I was excited for him. What a dream come true this is and he’s ready to go,” Salsman said.
The Lexington Catholic coach did not get to see him play at Miami but can tell he’s obviously “much bigger and stronger” than he was in high school.
“That lack of size held him back with us. He grew so fast it was hard for him to keep weight on,” Salsman said. “He got to college, got on a nutrition program and got his body right.
“He is still more of a pick and pop and perimeter player that Mark Pope seems to like. He’s a skilled big man who is becoming more of a rim protector. I still really think he has a chance to play at the next level. He has the size and the game is going to be playing on the perimeter with that size. That’s why I think he has a good chance to play at the next level.
“He could always shoot. That’s never been an issue for him and Pope obviously likes shooters, too.”
Potter was a 2023 Kentucky Mr. Basketball award finalist after averaging 17.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game as a senior.
Potter joins Pittsburgh point guard Jaland Lowe, Tulane small forward/guard Kam Williams, Alabama power forward Mouhamed Dioubate, Arizona State center Jayden Quaintance and Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen in Pope’s transfer portal class.
6 Responses
This kid is a perfect fit for what we needed. He won’t get a lot of PT this year unless an injury occurs and then he can stop the bleeding., if he doesn’t go ahead and redshirt this season. In a way, he reminds me of Anthony Davis…a guard who grew 8 inches to become a center with guard skills. He needs to add some muscle but has a year to do that. He will get to practice with one of the best frontcourts in the country. He also gets to grow with Chandler and Noah making a solid foundation for the 2026/27 season which will probably include Moreno, Williams, and Aberdeen…at the least. Good get Coach Pope!
Don’t forget about Jasper Johnson. I think he’s a 2 and done type. He will be a great backup this year or maybe 6th man on this years team. Then his sophomore season he going to explode. Chandler as a Junior Johnson as a sophomore might be better than Lowe and Oweh. Chandler and Johnson are better shooters and both are good on the ball defenders. I’m already thinking about Popes 3rd year lol. I do believe he will win a championship by the time Chandler is a senior if he stays that long. He might be a 3 and done. I can see Noah being the 6th man as a junior and a starter as a senior. If he stays that long. Potter could also start if he can redshirt this year. The good thing about Pope is his guys love to play for him so I can see us retaining more players than other teams. That’s how you see nowadays how great a coach is is how many players actually come back because if your a great coach your going to put your players in the best situation to win and have fun. Like Oweh said "I had the most fun I’ve ever had playing basketball" I knew he would come back and he will. There’s to many pros to come back to Kentucky. He could improve his shot. Become a all American or And first team sec. He would get drafted where he would get drafted would depend on if we win and he’s the leader of the team and he improves and sees the floor better. If he doesn’t have tunnel vision and hits the open man and knows when to pass and when to fake the pass and take it to the basket. I think we have a 90% chance on Oweh coming back I just hope he does.
Feed him, practice him, redshirt him. Gets in 4 games to give him a taste.
I agree. He will get to practice against a loaded front court. Let him play his 4 games against weaker competition and then the next 2 years he carves out a spot next year as a backup big and that could lead to him starting as a 5th year senior. That way he can become the best version of himself. He makes it to the pros after a year in the system working on his weight and defense he will be ready next year to play. This year we are absolutely loaded at the 4 and 5 especially if Pope plays Mo D at the 4 like alot of people believe he will. I prefer him playing the 3 were we get every rebound and we are impossible to score on. With Garrison the Croatian Moreno JQ and Mo D we have a starter and a backup for every position. Foul trouble or a injury could get him some playing time. I think if he’s about on the same level as Moreno right now. Hes played 2 years of college ball but I definitely wouldn’t burn a year of playing time as of right now. He’s great insurance in case JQs injury takes alot longer than expected and he will help out in practice. We are in a very great position when our 13th guy is Reece Potter. What a dream come true for this kid. I remember you did a article on him a couple of years ago Larry. Larry is ahead of the game. I do think with our depth he will be a great practice guy this year and he could start in the future if he plays a couple minutes a game this year then next year he could be the backup big his senior year. If he redshirts then we can talk about him possibly starting his senior year. If he can improve on his 3 pointer who knows. He could be better than the Croatian and Moreno at this point. I don’t believe something until I see it. If he could take this year and gain 15-20 pounds of muscle then he will be a force going forward. He only played 17 mpg so his averages aren’t bad for only playing 17 mpg. If he could have played 30 mpg his averages would be around a double double.
A player can’t play even one minute of basketball and still redshirt.
This kid should play this coming season. He is the perfect compliment to Jelavic at the 4 spot. That lets Dioubate play the 3 where he will be more effective with Williams as his backup and let Garrison and Moreno anchor the post until Quaintance is ready to go. That is a dynamite frontcourt! Will the guards be willing to share the ball?