NBA player Micah Potter and his wife Elle Potter, a D1 volleyball standout, on Monday kicked off a four-day opportunity for rising athletes on Guam to learn more about their sport.
Harvest Christian Academy brought the Potters to Guam.
The 6’9″ Micah Potter is a power forward and center for the Utah Jazz, while his wife Elle Potter is a Division 1 college volleyball standout from Loyola University Chicago.
The couple is hosting the Potter NBA x D1 Next LVL Sports Camp for grades third through 12th at Harvest Christian Academy from June 23 to 26.
Planning for the sport camp started in January when one of Harvest Christian Academy’s assistant basketball coaches, Titus Baugus, reached out to Micah Potter.
At the same time, Potter’s father, Tim Potter, a pastor speaking at a Harvest church event, introduced the idea to the school’s pastors.
“I’ve known Titus for years, and he brought up the idea of my wife and I coming out here and running some sports camps,” Micah Potter told the Pacific Daily News on Monday. “When he told me about it, it was during the season, so I was more focused on the season.”
But once the season ended, “things came to fruition,” the NBA player said.
“And within about two weeks, all the details came together. We prayed about it, and we decided to commit to it, and here we are, and we’re really excited,” Micah Potter said.
‘Talent only gets you so far’
The main goal is for the participants to leave with a winning mindset they can use outside of sports.
Statistically, very few athletes continue to play college sports and fewer advance to professional leagues.
Micah Potter’s focus instead is to help participants understand the value of hard work.
“You can have a lot of talent, but talent only gets you so far, and then once you get to that point, you have to make sure your work backs up your talent,” he said. “[We want] to instill the detailed mindset that it takes, the drive that it takes, the sacrifice that it takes. I’m not saying every one of these kids are going to make it to that level, because, statistically, it’s just not gonna happen.”
But in any aspect of life, he said, that mindset will help them.
“Whether it’s their regular job, helping raise their kids, or treating their wife, husband, boss, or coworker with respect, all of those attributes apply to every aspect of life, so we’d love to be able to help these kids understand that,” Micah Potter said.
Faith at the core
Besides skill, technique, and the proper mentality, Micah Potter’s greatest hope for the camp is instilling faith at the core of athletic training.
“We don’t want this camp to be a drag, or too hard that they won’t enjoy the sport that they’re playing,” Micah Potter said. “Elle and I are both excited to teach these kids the love for the game that we had. On top of that, we really want them to know where our true identity comes from and where our true joy comes from, and that’s our relationship with Jesus.”
He continued, “We want them to have fun [and] develop their skills in the sport that they’re coming for, whether it’s volleyball or basketball, [but also] we want them to understand the love that Jesus has for them.”
Goal, purpose
Josh Thaler, the athletic director at Harvest Christian Academy, expanded on this goal and the difference between a person’s goal as an athlete and their purpose as a Christian.
“One of the things I instill in my players is winning is the goal, never the purpose,” Thaler said. “Micah’s career is literally based on trying to win as much as possible, but that’s never his purpose in life, that’s not why God made him. God made him to honor God and to live his life for Christ, but the number of wins or the number of losses is never going to take that away from Micah. Christ is such an important part of our lives that’s going to overflow in every aspect that we do and in every conversation we have.”
As Micah Potter attributes much of his success to his faith, he wants to share what biblical themes he believes has helped him succeed with aspiring athletes.
“The main priority is that it’s a sports camp, but that’s like 1a, and 1b is the Christian themes that go along with applying to sports,” Micah Potter said. “My wife and I, our identity comes from Christ, not from our sport, and the only reason that we were able to make it to the levels that we have is because of our relationship with Jesus.”
“There’s so many biblical principles that apply to doing things the right way — having a good attitude, self control, discipline, work ethic, doing all of that for the glory of God — and we’ll make sure that that is an emphasis,” he added.
More can still join the sports camp
Although the camp is underway, spots are still available for anyone that wants to join.
Additional information and how to register can be found at http://hcaguam.org/summer.
There is also a free admission event for teens on Friday, June 27.
Harvest Christian Academy said it will host an open basketball and volleyball tournament for camp participants and others who want to play and meet the Potters before they leave.
This story will be updated.
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