Mark Potter is entering his 19th year as the head coach of the Newman men's basketball program in 2016-17.
Potter has compiled an overall record of 322-204 (.612) in his time with the Jets, the most victories and highest winning percentage in the program’s history. That includes a 141-105 record since Newman moved to NCAA Division II, and a 72-58 mark in eight seasons of play in the Heartland Conference.
In Potter’s time with the Jets, he has coached 33 all-conference players between the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference and the Heartland, including 11 first-teamers. He led 11 players who received All-America honors from the NAIA, and two more that were named all-region in the NCAA era. He has been named coach of the year by his conference on three occasions, and has coached two conference players of the year, three newcomers of the year, a freshman of the year and a defensive player of the year.
The longest-tenured coach in the program’s history, Potter was called on to resurrect the program after an 11-year hiatus beginning in the 1998-99 season, and before his first decade at the helm was complete, he helped lead his team through the transition to the NCAA, finding success under all circumstances.
A 17-13 overall record in 2015-16 was the Jets’ eighth winning record in nine years playing a Division II schedule, and the team returned to the postseason for the first time in three years, toppling second-seeded Lubbock Christian for its first playoff win as an NCAA school.
That was a fitting return to grace for Potter and the Jets, who came charging into the Heartland Conference, finishing in the top three in the standings and picking up postseason berths in four of their first five seasons of full membership. That run culminated in a 20-8 record in 2012-13, a season that saw Newman crash another barrier by earning a bid to the NCAA South Central Regional for the first time. The Jets were ranked in the NABC poll for the first time, going as high as No. 14, and knocked off No. 2 Washburn during the regular season.
Prior to the Jets’ successful run in the Heartland and Division II, Potter led the team on a wild journey through the MCAC and NAIA. After getting the program restarted in 1998-99, Newman reeled off the most successful four-year run in school history, going 104-26 from 1999-00 to 2002-03. During that stretch, the Jets won the regular season and postseason MCAC championships twice, reached the conference tournament finals in all four years, and made two trips to the NAIA tournament.
The streak of reaching the MCAC tournament stretched out to seven seasons when all was said and done, cut short only by the team’s move to Division II. Potter would also add a third berth in the NAIA tournament when his team went 23-10 in 2004-05.
Potter is a 1986 Newman graduate, where he played both basketball and baseball. He averaged 15 points per game as a guard for the basketball team and was all-district on the baseball team. Potter also served as assistant coach for both basketball and baseball for the Jets for a year following his playing career.
His start as a head coach came at Cheney High School, where he was at the helm for five seasons beginning in 1987-88, leading the team to a second-place finish at the 3A state tournament in 1990. He then spent five years as head coach at Kapaun Mt. Carmel High School, earning a state tournament appearance in 1995, and followed that up with a single year at Wichita South High School, posting a 16-9 record and finishing third in the 6A state tournament in 1997-98. Potter's overall record as a high school head coach is 137-112, with three state tournament appearances in 11 years.
A personal cause for Potter is the awareness and treatment of severe depression. Potter had his own bout with the disorder, and since that time, has been working to spread the word, letting people know the importance of going to get help. He wants all people to know that there is help if you are willing to ask.
Mark and his wife, Nanette, have two children. Chelsey is a former volleyball player at Newman where she was a first team all-conference selection her junior and senior years. Zac is in his fifth year of playing professional golf after graduating from Wichita State University. In 2013, the Fugate Gymnasium court was named "Potter Family Court" in honor of all the family has done for Newman University.
