Transition to a teacher; Hana Potter discusses future coaching plans

As graduation approaches, senior forward Hana Potter reminisces on her time with the WSU women’s basketball team and looks forward to the next stage of her career.

“This season was incredible,” Potter said, looking back on her four years at WSU. “What a way to go out for my senior year.”

The team’s win against No. 10 Nebraska was a highlight, as was the sweep against in-state rival Washington and the recent Pac-12 Tournament run, she said. The Cougars finished seventh in the conference, breaking even at 17-17 for the season. The five straight conference wins to start Pac-12 play sparked large community interest, something the program hadn’t experienced in years.

“Four years ago, when I got here, it was almost like a dream,” Potter said.

Head Coach June Daughterty said the biggest change she saw in Hana during her time here was her physical transformation into a ‘lean, mean athletic front player’. She is quicker, stronger, and has enhanced her game tremendously since coming into the program.

Potter hails from Hopkins High School in Minnetonka, Minn. After she signed with Washington State, analyst Chris Hansen rated her among the top 100 in the nation, according to Scout.com.

Potter has scored a total of 429 points with a 47-percent free throw average. The Cougars recently fell to Montana 90-78 in the opening round of the WNIT, a game in which Potter played nine minutes, dished two assists and grabbed three rebounds. Despite the less-than-stellar final statistics, a positive landmark was reached when the final buzzer sounded in Montana. Potter closes out her WSU career among the top four all-time leaders in games played for WSU with 125.

This season’s 17 wins mark a season record for the Cougs in 19 years, illustrating the great strides the program has made. As recognition of the improvement, WSU received five votes from NCAA coaches in the USA TODAY Coaches’ poll. That was the first time in 22 years WSU received top-25 votes.

“We play for each other on the court,” Potter said. “There’s less drama. There’s just less distractions, which I think has helped us a lot.”

Potter shed light on some of the changes she saw in the team this season. Among them, she noted increased hard work, discipline, and team chemistry.

“I know we didn’t go to the championship game like we had hoped and won the tournament itself, but beating Cal was probably one of the biggest wins we’ve had all season,” she said.

What’s next for the upcoming graduate? Playing overseas and becoming a future basketball coach are both paths she’s strongly considering.  

“I don’t know if I see myself as a head coach at the college level, but I definitely see myself in the athletic realm at the college level whether it’s part of the staff somehow is what I’m working towards,” Potter said

She doesn’t know what her ideal coaching job would be just yet, but mentioned it would be an honor to play under a coach like Tara VanDerveer, current women’s basketball head coach at Stanford. Potter said there are several aspects of coaching she can learn from June Daugherty, who has a record of 370-343 in her 24 seasons as a basketball head coach.

“June’s always been so positive and I envy that about her,” Potter said. “All four years it’s been positive encouragement and positive feedback.”

Potter leaves WSU as an example of hard work and individual improvement, two attributes she and Daugherty hope future pupils embody as well.

“She went from being the kid that didn’t have an extreme amount of confidence with her playing to a kid that was really confident,” Coach Daughterty said. “That type of play and leadership has been very valuable for us all four years.”

What Potter also leaves behind as she departs from the Palouse, is the college town atmosphere she says she’ll miss about Pullman.