Reece Potter Wants to Compete Against the Best

Reece Potter told media members he was learning from his new UK teammates daily. (Vicky Graff Photo)

Reece Potter is glad to be in his old Kentucky home.

“It’s been a blast,” Potter said earlier this week. “It’s been like everything you dream of as a kid… an unreal experience.”

The former Lexington Catholic standout was a late transfer portal addition for the Wildcats after playing the first two seasons of his collegiate career at Miami of Ohio. He averaged 6.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and made 40 percent of his shots from long range in his two years with the Redhawks. He scored double figures six times and scored a career-high 19 points for Miami, which finished 25-9 and went 14-4 in the Mid-American Conference.

“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. It’s always been my mindset — I want to compete against the best people.”

In his first summer with the Wildcats, Potter has been impressed with his teammates and is improving his skill set.

“I’m going to be able to learn from them and grow my game in practice every day,” he said. “Every single day, you see something in practice that’s like, ‘Wow.’”

Although he’s an experienced player, Potter is still learning going into his junior season.

“We always say we’re the deepest in the country — one through 15 guys,” he said. “ Everybody can probably play anywhere in the country. Every single day it’s a challenge. Every single day, everybody’s trying to bring it, you know, fighting for spots and stuff like that.”

Potter’s connection to Kentucky goes beyond the hometown correlation. He was trained by former Wildcats forward Daniel Orton, a friendship that formed during his freshman year at Catholic.

“(We) used to go at each other during practice, every single morning we used to work out because that was still during his playing days,” Potter said. “I was able to learn from him and grow from him, and we have a great relationship. I still talk to him every single day. He always calls me, and it’s grown into a great friendship.”

Now that he’s home, Potter is looking forward to finally playing in Rupp Arena this season.

“I have not played in Rupp Arena, which is honestly very sad,” he said. “I feel like some people that have watched me since high school and I’d be like, ‘we were the best team in the state every single year.’ Yeah, yeah, embarrassing. But (now I’m here) and I’m looking forward to it a lot.”