The Case for Micah Potter
The NCAA took time away from Potter back in 2019, when they denied his appeal to be declared immediately eligible. Now, he has the chance to make up for lost time and then some.
With Reuvers gone, Potter’s minutes and numbers would improve substantially. The offense would run through Potter and he would have a great shot at making an All-Big Ten team. The scoring duo of sophomore Johnny Davis and Micah Potter would be nasty. It’s not hard to imagine a solid Wisconsin team where Potter and Davis are both averaging around 18 points per game. Potter has the opportunity to expand his game and improve his chances at playing professionally.
Potter will be getting married soon. However, his fiancé is currently a senior volleyball player at Loyola-Chicago. If she has plans to stay in the Midwest area after graduating, Potter would not be as far away as he would be traveling around the country in the G-League or playing overseas. Just last season in 2019-20, Michigan State had two married men playing in their rotation with Xavier Tillman and Kyle Ahrens.
The Case for Brad Davison
Brad has a chance to further establish his legend at Wisconsin. It’s been said that Davison wants to coach down the road, and what a great opportunity he has to get experience as a mentor and coach on the floor for the younger players around him.
If Brad comes back next year not only would his offensive numbers improve, but he would shore up a young defense. Davison does not get the credit he deserves on the defensive end. At 6’4”, he is strong, puts himself in all the right places at the right times, and moves his feet exceptionally well laterally. Brad not making the All-Big Ten Defensive team this past season is a joke.
Brad looked healthier and explosive down the final stretch of the season. His two point field goal percentage was flukey this season and that should regress back to over 40% – what he averaged his previous three years. Davison would also have more ball-handling responsibilities and he thrived in that role as a true Freshman with one arm.
They Aren’t That Old…
In the day and age where parents hold their kids back in kindergarten to give them a competitive advantage in athletics… With kids going to prep schools before college… With the option to redshirt… With this past season that didn’t count against eligibility, Potter and Davison are not dinosaurs.
Brad and Micah have April birthdays which makes them relatively young for their grade in the college athletics world. For the entire 2021-22 season they will be 22 and 23, respectively. That is not rare. Their own teammate D’Mitrik Trice was a 5th year senior this past season, but was truly the age of a 7th year senior as he’ll be turning 25 this May. They witnessed Trice, at a significantly older age, have a great year and improve his professional career prospects. Trice made himself more money professionally by returning.
Fun fact: Wisconsin native Jordan McCabe who plays at West Virginia, is a grade below Davison but is SEVEN months older than Brad.
The Case for Both
Brad and Micah seem like two peas in a pod. They are passionate players, emotional leaders, and have represented the program with class. If they decide to come back together, they’ll have each other as fellow elder statesmen of the team.
If there were two players who especially missed playing in front of fans it was Potter and Davison. Back when fans were able to attend sporting events, these two were always the ones pumping up the Kohl Center fans to get out of their seats. They are players who feed off the energy of the crowd and the opportunity to play in front of fans again may be enticing.
If the real world can wait another year and they want to come back then why not? Greg Gard would certainly welcome them back with open arms. They can further establish their legacy, do some grad work, and get treated like royalty while playing in big games/atmospheres on national TV.
If they are ready for the next step and don’t come back, everyone knows they will do great things in the next chapters of their life.
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