Transfer Bio Blast: Reece Potter

Lexington’s own Reece Potter is a Kentucky Wildcat.

The Lexington Catholic (KY) product spent his first two college seasons at Miami (OH), where he was a productive backup big man for the RedHawks. Clocking in at 7-foot-1, 215 pounds, Potter averaged 6.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 15.7 minutes per outing during his 56 games played (11 as a starter) in the Mid-American Conference. He went into the portal on March 24 and announced his transfer to UK on Monday.

Potter has a skinny build for someone his height, but he brings two years of Division I experience to Kentucky’s already loaded frontcourt. He shot 39.8 percent from deep during his two seasons at Miami (37-93) and has flashed some playmaking ability from the top of the key. On paper, he looks like a natural fit for Mark Pope‘s system. Potter has two years of eligibility remaining.

NEWS: Miami (OH) transfer Reece Potter, a 7-foot-1 center and Lexington native, has committed to Kentucky, he tells @On3sports. https://t.co/GOALC24COT pic.twitter.com/cDaVTUygEN

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) May 5, 2025

Let’s dive a bit deeper to learn even more about the Bluegrass native.

A local star at Lexington Catholic

Potter was a four-year varsity player at Lexington Catholic High School. As a junior in 2021-22, he averaged 16.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per game while shooting 56.7 percent from the field. His game improved even more in his senior campaign as team captain with averages of 17.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per outing on 55.8 percent overall shooting. Potter was tabbed a finalist for the 2023 Kentucky Mr. Basketball award (which went to future Kentucky star Reed Sheppard).

That same season, Potter led the Knights to a spot in the 11th Region championship, ultimately falling to Frederick Douglass 43-41. In the game before that, he got the best of incoming UK freshman Malachi Moreno, who was a sophomore at the time for Great Crossing. Potter finished with 19 points and eight rebounds in the victory. He went on to be named the 11th Region Player of the Year.

Potter originally committed to Xavier while in high school under head coach Travis Steele. But when Steele was fired by the Musketeers at the end of the 2021-22 season, he took the same job at Miami. Potter quickly followed. The likes of St. Louis, Western Kentucky, and Indiana State, among other mid-majors, also recruited him. Potter went from being 6-foot-6 as a sophomore to a still-growing seven-footer upon leaving Lexington Catholic.

Coming off the bench for the RedHawks

Coach Steele’s first team at Miami (OH) wasn’t a great one. The RedHawks finished 15-17 (9-9 MAC), which allowed some extra playing time for Potter as a true freshman. He saw 14.2 minutes per game of action in 2023-24 across 26 games played. After coming off the bench in his first seven outings, he was inserted into the starting lineup for 11 straight games.

During that time, Potter averaged 6.9 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 46.9 percent from the field and an efficient 9-13 (69.2 percent) from long range. He had arguably the best game of his college career in that stretch: a 17-point, five-rebound performance in 19 minutes in a close loss to Bowling Green. He had five games of 10 or more points as a true freshman.

The RedHawks improved in 2024-25 with a record of 25-9 (14-4 MAC) — and so did Potter’s game. While he was restricted to coming off the pine in all 30 games played, he averaged 6.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 17 minutes per contest. He shot much better from two-point range (52.5 percent compared to 43.6 percent as a freshman), but a higher volume on his three-pointers saw a dip in that percentage (36.7 percent compared to 45.5 percent as a freshman). Potter scored in double digits six times, including a 15-point, eight-rebound showing in the MAC Tournament against Eastern Michigan.

Scouting Report: Reece Potter

We’ll have a proper, in-depth film breakdown of Potter’s game later this week, but here’s what we know about him from the little film that is easily accessible.

For starters, Potter is slender for someone his size. He’s still yet to fully adjust to his body after a multi-year growth spurt, and keeping on weight has been a challenge. Being at a program like Kentucky with endless resources should help amend that issue over time. But what the high school growth spurt did do was allow him to translate his guard skills into a center’s body. Potter is comfortable operating from the top of the post with the ball in his hands — a key trait for any Mark Pope big man.

As expected, Potter was a high-level rebounder on both ends of the floor in the MAC (top 15 in his conference in offensive and defensive rebounding rate, per KenPom). His size alone allowed him to impact shots at the rim, although he’s not regarded as a truly elite rim protector. Potter’s ability to stretch the floor with a quick release on his three-pointer is where he can make the biggest impact on the floor.

How soon will his skills and physical attributes translate to Kentucky and the SEC? That’ll be the big question as he makes the transition to high-major basketball. He could be a potential redshirt candidate. But you won’t find many programs in the country with a better 13th man than Reece Potter.

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