When coming off the bench and playing limited minutes, any mistakes are going to be magnified. Plus, another team's style of play may dictate how a coach adjusts rotations.
Both were a factor in Micah Potter's performance on ESPN2, Monday. His No. 1 ranked Montverde Academy Eagles took on Huntington Prep in a game featuring dozens of the top prep talent in the country.
Potter did not check in until around the three minute mark of the first quarter. As soon as he did, Huntington Prep tried to attack him in isolation. Guard Luka Petrovic attempted to break him down off the dribble, but Potter stayed in front, contested a potential shot attempt and forced a travel:
Later, Potter attempted a closeout on Petrovic and it did not go as well as the previous interaction. First, he had to play help defense and prevent an open look at the rim. He then ran out to the three-point line and closed a little to hard on Petrovic's right side. Had it not been for a teammate underneath him, Potter might've had a better chance to contest this layup:
When we spoke to Thad Matta about Potter in November, he did not say much about his defense. Potter can clearly stick with guards and, according to OSU's head coach, is an intelligent rebounder.
"One of the things, watching him this summer, I loved how he rebounded the basketball," Matta said. "He understood angles, he understood positioning. Those are the things that are, sometimes, hard to teach."
Potter's best on-floor qualities may be within his offensive versatility. Although he had a couple turnovers, which ultimately did not help him stay on the floor, Potter still made a positive impact on that end.
Both Montverde and Huntington Prep play fast. This quick outlet did not lead to a made basket, but Potter's pass gave Howard Washington an opportunity:
Matta seems to be impressed the most by Potter's range.
"He's very good around the basket," he said, "But he has really expanded his game since we first started recruiting him – in terms of a stretch big guy."
It came after fumbling an in-bounds pass, but here's Potter showing off a baseline jumper:
Buckeyes offer Coleman
The Ohio State staff continues their search for another point guard. Kobi Simmons may be the answer, but we won't know until the spring.
In the meantime, OSU offered a guard in the 2017 class. According to Vantage Hoops' Adam Ayalew, the latest offer went out to Oak Hill Academy's Matt Coleman. The composite four-star point guard also has offers from Arizona, Connecticut, Indiana, Louisville and Texas, among others.
ESPN's scouting report praises his passing abilities, saying his more of a distributor than a pure scorer.
"The ball never dies in his hands and his passing prowess is high-level," the scouting report said. "He knows how to put the ball into the pocket of the shooter and he is quite astute in the high screen and roll, there is never any excessive dribbling when he's running the half court set."
Coleman's mixtape shows a number of explosive plays on the offensive end:
