BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — After making the hard decision to transfer from Ohio State, a deliberate process that factored in his loyalty to his home-state school and his two years with the basketball program, Micah Potter was seeking the right fit for his future from both an academic and athletic standpoint.
It didn't take long for him to find what he was looking for.
"Wisconsin had my heart from the get-go," said the 6-9, 240-pound Potter, who visited the Madison campus the weekend of November 17-18 and officially announced Monday that he would be enrolling for the second semester of classes in January. He will join the Badgers at semester break and will be eligible to play beginning in December of 2019.
"Wisconsin has the prototypical style of play for a guy with my skill set. That was a big thing. Another thing was how I would fit in with the team and my future teammates. Brad Davison was my host for the visit and he had a big impact. He made me feel at home through the whole process."
Potter also felt comfortable in the company of D'Mitrik Trice, Aleem Ford, Nate Reuvers, Kobe King and Brevin Pritzl. Davison, in fact, stayed in touch with Potter. "He showed that he actually cared about me and not just the fact I could help his basketball team," he said. "It really meant a lot to me."
In the end, Potter was won over by the Badger culture.
"I had an idea on the basis of what Wisconsin basketball was all about and how they do things," said Potter, who hails from Mentor, Ohio, 20 miles outside of Cleveland. "When I got there Coach (Greg) Gard and (assistant) Coach (Joe) Krabbenhoft were able to show me a little more of a blueprint ideal.
"It was more of an in-depth view of the program – the way they play, the way they act on and off the floor, how they carry themselves, the team culture – all of those things that I want to be a part of. They hold themselves to a very high standard."
At Ohio State, Potter started 16 games over two years – he was the first true freshman to start a season opener for the Buckeyes since Jared Sullinger – and averaged 12 minutes, 4 points and 3 rebounds in 59 career games. He had a career high of 17 points against Texas Southern in 2017.
"He has plenty of experience in our league and, at a high level, he has been part of successful teams," Gard said. "We had watched him in high school and part of his AAU career, and also having the chance to play against him and watching him on film, we thought it was a good fit.
"When you look at transfers, you have to do your due diligence from a cultural standpoint and make sure they're going to be about the right things. There's no doubt Micah is about team-first and he wants to be part of something bigger than himself. He understands the big picture."
Potter will be counted on to be a key piece on the front line to help fill the void left by seniors Ethan Happ, Khalil Iverson and Charles Thomas. "It's a perfect fit," Gard said, "in terms of our system, how he plays, how we play with our bigs and what he can bring to the table as a player."
Moreover, Potter's presence in practices will help this season's team, Gard pointed out.
"That's the benefit of having him here shortly," Gard said. "When you've got a guy that talented and with that size on our scout team, it's going to raise the level of practice. Plus, he'll be a part of our locker room in pregame, halftime and postgame and really get an up-close look on how we operate."
Looking ahead to Potter becoming eligible next season, Gard added, "He has been to the Breslin Center, he has been to Assembly Hall, he has been to Carver-Hawkeye. He has played in hostile Big Ten environments. He understands what this league is all about.
"He's not going to walk into those places and be wide-eyed and awestruck. He has been there before. And that's a huge advantage for someone coming in."
On November 1, Potter had 13 points (4-of-4 from the field) and 6 rebounds in Ohio State's exhibition win over UNC Pembroke. He played knowing that it wouldn't count against his eligibility if he elected to transfer. At that juncture, he was still weighing all of his options.
"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," he 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."
After playing his freshman season for Ohio State head coach Thad Matta – who won the recruiting battle for Potter over Clemson, Iowa, Davidson, NC State and West Virginia – Potter came under the wing of former Butler coach Chris Holtmann, who replaced Matta in Columbus last season.
"I have no bad blood with Coach Holtmann or Ohio State or anything like that," Potter said. "I just wasn't maximizing my potential, I wasn't maximizing my potential because I wasn't fitting, and I wasn't playing well. I was performing only in flashes. The style of play was not what fits my skill set.
"As much as I didn't want to leave, I needed to leave and I'm very excited about going to Wisconsin. Pretty much as soon as I got there on my visit, I fell in love with it (the school). It's hard not to like Madison. It's beautiful there. And its Wisconsin basketball. You can't get much better than that."
Besides making a recruiting trip to the UW, Potter also visited Vanderbilt.
"Wisconsin was the frontrunner," he said. "But I was keeping an open mind."
Potter has played twice in the Kohl Center. Ohio State lost big (89-66) and won big (83-58).
"Honestly, I've been saying this since I played there my freshman year," he said, "but the Kohl Center was one of my favorite places to play. I just felt comfortable there. I always felt at home there. I love the fact that they've led the Big Ten in attendance for so many years."
So, what kind of player are the Badgers getting in Micah Potter?
"The biggest thing they're getting is a hard-worker," he said. "That's something I take a lot of pride in. I've been able to prove that with how I've changed my body since high school. My junior year, I was 275 pounds and around 20 percent body fat. This year, I'm 240 to 245 and about 4 to 6 percent."
In sum, the 20-year-old Potter said, "I'm just a guy who's going to play hard, have a good attitude and be a team guy. I love playing basketball. The passion I have for the game really drives me. I can't wait to get to Madison. I'm ready to be part of a team again."
