"I emailed Nick the other day and he is hoping to go under 1:50," he says of the Olympic silver medallist who lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
"He will be in the middle of his buildup or crosscountry winter phase of his training."
It will be the first time the 32-year-old Hutt Valley-born athlete will return to the Bay venue for the classic since officially opening it in 2008. This classic will be the event's 17th edition.
Last year's classic 800m winner, Mathus, has held the national title for the past four years so he and Willis will be among others in the field trying to eclipse the PB of 1m 48.22s Hastings international athlete Hamish Christensen set.
Barber is the fastest Australian junior over the distance and is ranked No20 in the world among his peers.
The Lisa Verstraten-coached athlete from Ocean Grove is a two-time national silver medallist and won bronze in 2013.
The Victorian state crosscountry runner has completed Year 12 at high school and hopes to make the cull automatically for the Australia junior team next year before pursuing tertiary education in marine science.
Rayner, a Melbournite, has been competing in crosscountry, track and road running since he was 7.
The Keith Furnley-coached runner has represented his state in crosscountry at the Aussie nationals since 2004.
Since entering the senior domain, Rayner has become a yardstick as the fastest 18-year-old in two decades when he finished 11th in the 2014 Zatopek.
He has a list of state, national and international placings as well as half-marathon and marathon on his resume.
Potts says seven Aussies, mostly juniors, are in the classic equation here and he's trying to secure a couple more.
Nathan Pearce, another Victorian, is an 800m runner.
The 20-year-old fulltime athlete, who is a champion 800m, 1500m and crosscountry state champion, represented Australia at the U20 World Crosscountry Championship in China this year.
A Kenyan, Emmanuel Biwott, is in the mix but Potts knows little about him. According to internet data, Biwott turns 31 on Christmas Day, and has run from 10km under 30 minutes to two-hour marathons in his PBs from 2007-2009.
The other Australian high-flier is Christine Wearne, a senior sprinter who should give Havelock North High schoolgirl Georgie Hulls and her fellow national relay squad members some stiff competition.
Wearne, a New South Welshwoman, finished third in the 100m distance at this year's IAAF World Challenge in Melbourne.
The 26-year-old, who only started racing competitively in 2010 and loves "the thrill of trying to catch others", boasts a PB of 11.71s. The Sydneysider, an office clerk, has been gauging her prowess against the likes of Aussie track queens Sally Pearson and Melissa Breen.
Potts says the top two New Zealand women discus throwers, TeRina Keenan (60m) and Sositina Hakeai (59m), will be competing here after going to the world championship this year.
But the big question is whether anyone will break the stranglehold of Angie Petty, of Canterbury, in the women's 800m marquee event dedicated to Potts mother Sylvia.
Petty, nee Smit, is the reigning 800m World University champion and a sub 2-minute 800m runner ranked 21 among seniors worldwide.
She has won six 800m classic titles here.
Heidi Demio, who turns 16 in February, will be in the 800m field with Petty. The Verstraten-coached Victorian schoolgirl has an impressive resume, albeit at school and age-group level.
Amelia Mazza-Downie is a former schoolgirl and junior 3000m and crosscountry national champion.
A high school student from Melbourne, Mazza-Downie hopes to make the Aussie team for the IAAF Junior World Championships next year.
The late Sylvia Potts was a New Zealand champion 800m runner who competed at the Olympic and Commonwealth Games, narrowly missing out on the Commonwealth gold medal in 1970 when she fell just short of the finish line.
Husband Allan was a New Zealand track coach, including Sylvia's before they married. He lost his battle with cancer in May 2014.
The event used to be titled the Sylvia Potts Memorial Classic until Allan's death saw their names combined for this year's meeting.
