Reece Potter predicts Kentucky will be the best defensive team in the country

The biggest issue Kentucky faced last season was its issues on the defensive end of the court. While Mark Pope’s 2024-25 squad was one of the highest-scoring teams in the country — their opponents scored 77.2 points on average against the Wildcats.

This was an issue for Kentucky down the stretch. Incoming transfer and Lexington-native Reece Potter is sure it won’t be something for Big Blue Nation to worry about this coming season.

“We’re gonna be the best defensive team in the country, I would probably say. I’m not gonna list people — we’ve got the whole team,” Potter told reporters. “We’ve got a lot of length and shot blocking one through five. It’s gonna be a battle who’s gonna be the Defensive Player of the Year in the SEC because, I mean, it could probably be anybody.

“Teams are gonna have a tough time. We can score the ball and we can defend, so I feel like that’s a recipe for success.”

It’s no surprise that Mark Pope is focusing on defense this offseason given their woes on that end of the court during the 2024-25 season. Pope’s looking to get ahead of that in year two, and it appears that his message has gotten through to his players.

Having Potter buy into Pope’s message this early in his Kentucky career isn’t surprising. He grew up a Kentucky fan, and Pope demands his players play for the name across their chest — something Potter is well aware of.

Coming of high school, Potter committed to Miami (OH) after playing for Lexington Catholic High School at the preps level. He fielded offers from Xavier, St. Louis, Western Kentucky, Indiana State, among others.

He eventually spent two seasons with the RedHawks, appearing in 56 games over that stretch. He averaged 6.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 17 minutes per outing while shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from the 3-point line before hitting the transfer portal and ending up back home in Lexington.

Potter is one of seven incoming transfers for Kentucky this offseason. He joins Kam Williams, Jaland Lowe, Mouhamed Dioubate, Jayden Quaintance, Andrija Jelavic and Denzel Aberdeen as the newcomers, along with true freshmen Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno.

With an improved defensive effort predicted from Potter, the new Kentucky big man will look to prove any doubters wrong when the Wildcats begin the 2025-26 season. Fans will get their first look at Pope’s new team when they host both Purdue and Georgetown in exhibition games in October.