LCC Hosted Motivational Speaker Coach Mark Potter

Parsons, KS - Labette Community College (LCC) hosted motivational speaker, Mark Potter, former head basketball coach, and teacher, on Tuesday, August 29th.  Coach Potter’s message to LCC’s students, athletes, staff, and faculty was one of hope, shatter the stigma, and don’t suffer in silence!

Potter and his wife, Nanette, are a duo package working diligently to be advocates to end the stigma surrounding mental illness. Coach Potter speaks about his bout with severe depression during the height of his basketball coaching career at Newman University. 

Coach Potter was the Head Men’s Basketball Coach at NCAA Division II Newman University when he began a descending spiral into depression. Potter grew up in Sedan, Kansas, where he was an outstanding basketball and baseball player. He was recruited to play both sports at the collegiate level.  He first played at Cowley County College and then went on to finish his playing career at Kansas Newman College where he earned a degree in Secondary Education. After teaching and coaching at the high school level for 11 years, he took on the challenge to restart the men’s basketball program at his Alma Mater, now called Newman University. He coached for 19 years and is known as the winningest basketball coach in Newman history.

Coach shared about his dark moments of depression and Nanette discussed the role as a caregiver and the road she took to get help for someone she loved. Coach tells his story to educate people about depression and encourage those who suffer from mental illness to seek help, get treatment, and find a way to live productively with mental illness.

Potter has been coach of the year five times and named top 15 most influential people in Wichita sports world.  He has been inducted into the Cowley College Hall of Fame, The Newman Hall of Fame, the Wichita Sports Hall of Fame, and most recently, the National Baseball Congress Hall of Fame.  In 2013, the basketball court at Newman University was named the “Potter Family Court”.

Potter’s message provided students with ways to deal with pressure, failure, or embarrassment, to document negative thoughts, and process controllable goals. “Someone dies of suicide every 10 minutes,” stated Coach Potter. His hope is that his story will change the way people think and it is okay to not be okay. Potter went on to say, “Change the way you think, don’t be afraid to ask for help”.

Potter considers his battle with severe depression and his rise to victory as a “National Championship”. and he wants those struggling to find their victory and “Championship”!

To learn more about depression and mental illness you can reach them at d2up.speak@gmail.com or call 316-640-9059.