WISCONSIN BADGERS

Transfer Micah Potter will be 'a perfect fit' in the frontcourt with the Badgers

Jeff Potrykus
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Ohio State's Micah Potter grabs the rebound against Penn State last season.

MADISON – Knowing that Ethan Happ, Khalil Iverson and Charles Thomas will exhaust their eligibility after this season, Wisconsin’s coaches have been looking to add as many frontcourt pieces as they can for the future.

The staff added another piece Monday when Micah Potter, a 6-foot-9, 245-pound forward who played two seasons at Ohio State, announced he plans to transfer to UW.

Potter is set to enroll next month and will have to sit out a year, per NCAA transfer rules. 

Potter could apply for a waiver to so he could be eligible immediately next season, but according to UW officials he has three semesters of eligibility remaining. That would allow him to play half of next season and all of the 2020-’21 season. 

“It’s a perfect fit,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a news release. “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. 

“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 the team first and he wants to be part of something bigger than himself. He understands the big picture.”

Tyler Wahl, a 6-foot-7 forward from Lakeville (Minnesota), signed with UW last month. 

Current freshmen Joe Hedstrom, a 7-0, 223-pound center from Hopkins, Minnesota, and Taylor Currie, a 6-8, 226-pound forward from Clarkston, Michigan, are expected to redshirt this season. 

Potter is from Mentor, Ohio. He started 12 games and played in 30 as a freshman in 2016-’17 and averaged 4.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. He started four games and played in 29 last season and averaged 4.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. 

“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.”