The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team added future depth to their front court Monday with the signing of transfer forward Micah Potter from The Ohio State University. UW Athletics announced Monday night.
Potter, a junior, saw his minutes per game reduced from 14.1 as a freshman to just 10.1 as a sophomore and was likely to back up for center Kaleb Wesson for the second consecutive year. Potter announced his intent to transfer two days before the season began in response to his decreased role with OSU. During his two-year career with the Buckeyes Potter also averaged 4.1 points on 46 percent shooting with 2.8 rebounds per game.
“The reason I waited so long to make the decision [to transfer] was really because I love Ohio State — I grew up a Buckeyes fan and I tried to make it work as long as I could,” Potter said. “But in the end, I needed to make a decision that was best for me. I needed to go somewhere I would fit in a little better.”
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Though Potter was considering other schools like Vanderbilt during the transfer process, Wisconsin was a frontrunner going in and allowed Potter to continue playing in the Big Ten.
Badger guard Brad Davison was an integral part in recruiting the forward. After acting as Potter’s host during his visit in November, Davison kept in contact with Potter through text and apparently helped Potter in choosing UW.
“He showed that he actually cared about me and not just the fact I could help his basketball team,” Potter said of Davison.
Facing a dearth of talent at the forward position in 2019, the addition will be an enormous help for the team as seniors Ethan Happ, Khalil Iverson and Charlie Thomas all depart. Potter will likely play alongside Nate Reuvers and Aleem Ford, who look to be the Badgers’ only other established frontcourt players going into next season.
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Potter will enroll at UW next semester, but due to transfer rules, he won’t be able to play for another calendar year starting Dec. 2019.
As the Ethan Happ era nears its end in Wisconsin, Potter’s combination of fit and experience should aid the Badgers growing pains next season and beyond.
