The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
3 D-I ATHLETES? IT’S THE POTTER’S HAND
With sons excelling at college level in sports, parents view it as a blessing
Parents who are fortunate enough to raise a Division I college athlete are certainly among an exclusive group.
Those who raise two Division I athletes are rare.
The territory Tim and Ronda Potter are venturing in might be considered “unicorn territory” — it’s heard of, but there’s no proof it exists. Until now. With two sons already having signed Division I college letters of intent, a third is on the cusp of doing so.
Oldest son Caleb, a 2013 graduate of Mentor, signed with and played baseball at West Virginia before eventually transferring to Southern New Hampshire.
Second son Micah, a 6-foot-9 forward, is about to embark on his sophomore season with the Ohio State men’s basketball team.
Noah is a junior on the Mentor football team who already has offers from Minnesota, Boston College, Iowa State, Kent State, Bowling Green and Toledo — so he is all but guaranteed a full athletic scholarship. Three sons. Three Division-I athletes. Three different sports. Unicorn territory. “I’ve been doing this 31 years now and, gosh, I’d have to think
long and hard about that ever happening,” said Bill Kurelic, Midwest Recruiting analyst for 247Sports. “I’m not saying it’s never happened, but I can’t recall it ever happening.”
It’s safe to say their parents didn’t plan it that way.
“I don’t think you can ever plan for or think this could happen,” said proud mother Ronda.
“We went to smaller schools,” father Tim said. “We didn’t know what a Division I athlete looked like.” Now they do. So far, Tim and Ronda Potter are 3-for-3 — a perfect 1.000 batting average — when it comes to raising D-I college athletes.
And if early indications are true, daughter Emma — a freshman at Mentor — might be the fourth, as she is already getting D-I looks from West Virginia and Virginia Tech in soccer.
“We were at dinner the other night and discussing how good God has been to us,” said Tim, minister at Grace Church of Mentor, “and Noah asked, ‘If God didn’t give us these scholarships, how would you have handled the college debt?’
“I said, ‘Like most other people, graduating with six-figure college debt —
times four.’ It’s a blessing, believe me, and we thank the Lord for it every day.”
Having grown up in small religious schools, neither Tim nor Ronda were high-profile athletes. Tim was athletic, playing basketball and soccer, but the family philosophy was centered on religion, family and education more so than athletics.
But maybe the first clue something was unique — in a good way — about their children was when Tim bought first-born Caleb a batting tee at age 2.
“He was so upset, he was like, ‘Just pitch it to me,’ ” Tim said. “The home run fence was the power lines and he was launching the ball over the lines at 2 or 3.”
Added Ronda, “When they get into youth sports and you see them being bigger and stronger than the rest, you realize they have something. But again, we didn’t know. We didn’t have a scope, prior to that, to gauge it on.”
No matter how tight and religious the family was, there has always been competition from Day 1. You’re going to have that when you have three boys.
Whether it was backyard baseball, basketball or football, the Potter boys were all-in and competing hard.
“Yeah, we’ve broken plenty of things,” Caleb said with a grin, of household items having fallen
prey to competitive sons. “We always have competition no matter what it is. Whether it’s board games, video games, playing in the yard, wrestling, anything, we are competitive.
“Noah kinda learned that. I think it’s given him that killer mentality on the football field.”
Caleb was the first star to shine in the family, helping lead the 2013 Mentor basketball team to the Division I state championship game with a dazzling 24-point effort (on 8-of-12 shooting) in a 76-67 win over Toledo Rogers in the state championship game.
He was also a leader on a Mentor baseball team that advanced to the Division I regional championship game in consecutive years.
He was part of a golden era of Mentor athletics that included teammates Mitchell Trubisky (2017 first-round pick of the Bears), Kade McClure (2017 fifth-round draft pick of the White Sox), Conner Krizancic (Minnesota football signee), Brandon Fritts (North Carolina football signee) and others.
Caleb signed with West Virginia and played a little more than half of the games his sophomore year. But a pulled groin muscle wiped out most of his sophomore year, and he eventually transferred to Southern New Hampshire.
He is entering his senior year this fall.
“It was a great move for me,” he said.
And little brother — or rather, younger brother, was watching.
“It was cool,” Micah said. “He has always been someone I could look up to as a role model . ... Being able to live up to his standard pushed me to be better.”
After three years at Mentor, Micah left Northeast Ohio and enrolled at Montverde Academy in Florida. It was not a decision that came easily to him or the family.
“We didn’t have to send Micah to Montverde,” Tim said. “But what we found out was we don’t think he starts at Ohio State, let alone 14 minutes a game (without the transfer). He probably redshirts.
“It’s nothing against Coach K (Mentor basketball coach Bob Krizancic) or anyone here. You can’t argue with his record. It was just an opportunity came his way to step in as a freshman.”
Micah averaged 3.2 points and 3.2 rebounds as a freshman at Ohio State.
Again, a third set of eyes was watching big brothers. This one had a different path in mind.
Noah is a 6-foot-6, 250-pound defensive end for the Cardinals who not only has five offers in hand, but also has consistent contact with Ohio State, Penn State, Notre Dame and others.
“As older brothers, we rough him up a little,” Caleb said with a chuckle. “Me and Micah can still beat him in those wrestling matches, but he’s getting up there. He will pass us up soon.”
Noah is rated a threestar recruit by 247Sports and Rivals.com, but that could change in coming months, depending on his improvement.
“If Noah comes out and plays the way he can, he’ll have his choice wherever,” Mentor coach Steve Trivisonno said. “The sky is the limit for him.”
Being the “baby brother” of the three Potter boys comes with a lot of pride in those who came before him. Noah remembers watching Caleb hitting big shots in the state championship basketball game, and remembers Micah’s big games on the court — and now on television with the Ohio State Buckeyes.
“It’s a lot of pressure, but I never let it get to my head,” Noah said of following his big brothers. “It was awesome to see the work they did and that they are doing so well.”
If there is one downside to three D-I athletes and being spread out across the country, it’s that the family isn’t as close as it would like to be. That’s where technology — i.e. computers and FaceTime apps on the phone — come in handy.
“This past fall, I was
with my new teammates and we’d drive 20 minutes to find a spot that had that channel to see Micah play on TV,” Caleb said. “I was always bragging about him all the time on campus.”
There is a lot to brag about when it comes to the Potter family. But bragging isn’t the family’s style. They look at it more as a blessing.
Tim and Ronda Potter never expected all three of their sons to be D-I college athletes, let alone in three different sports.
If youngest child Emma continues her current path and is a D-I college soccer player — “Definitely,” Noah predicted — then the family will be 4-for-4.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that,” Trivisonno marveled. “It’s incredible. All the boys are Division I athletes in different sports, and the daughter is really good, too.
“That’s quite an amazing feat. What a variety of different athletes.”
It’s a feat as rare as they come. Unicorn territory. “We are blessed for sure,” Tim said. “Our family philosophy is Matthew 6:33: ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.’
“If you keep your heart right with the Lord, he’ll bring opportunities to you. You don’t have to look.”