Justin Potts, who has assisted head coach Jeff Wilson for the last 12 years since Wilson returned to campus in 2002, has helped reshape the Warriors' men's basketball program into one of the top teams in the PSAC, the Atlantic Region and NCAA Division II.
Wilson and Potts have guided ESU to two of the last three PSAC championships (2012, 2014) and architected a historic 2014 campaign, going 30-2 to set a school record for wins along with a host of outstanding achievements.
Potts joined Wilson as PSAC championship assistant coaches for the Warriors when ESU won its second conference title in school history in 2012. Wilson was an assistant coach under Sal Mentesana as part of the Warriors' 1990 PSAC championship team.
In the last five years (2009-10 through 2013-14), Wilson, Potts and the Warriors have played in the NCAA Tournament four times (2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014) and made five straight trips to the PSAC Final Four. ESU's 112-39 record is one of the best five-year stretches in PSAC history.
ESU's 2014 season started with a school-record 20-game winning streak, the PSAC's best since 1995, and ended with a spot in the NCAA DII "Sweet 16" for the second time in program history.
The Warriors went 30-2, winning the PSAC championship and hosting the NCAA DII Atlantic Regional at Koehler Fieldhouse. They were ranked No. 2 in the final NABC poll of the regular season, their highest-ever ranking and first time finishing the year ranked in the Top 25.
Wilson was named DII Coach of the Year by the Basketball Times and CollegeInsider.com. He also received his second NABC Atlantic Region Coach of the Year in five years, also earning recognition in 2010.
ESU was led by junior guard Whis Grant, who was named All-America for the second straight year. Junior guard Matt Tobin joined Grant on the All-PSAC East first team, and freshman forward Rasheed Moore was the PSAC East Freshman of the Year, All-PSAC East second team and a member of the DII Bulletin All-Freshman Team.
The Warriors advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four years in 2013, posting a final record of 22-7 and earning the No. 9 ranking in the NABC poll with a 19-2 record on February 12. Their 14-game winning streak was tied for the longest in school history. The Warriors won an outright PSAC East an 18-4 record in conference games.
Grant was named the PSAC East Athlete of the Year and was ESU's first All-American in 20 years. He was one of three All-PSAC East selections, along with senior forwards Terrance King (1st team) and Duane Johnson (2nd team).
ESU's 2012 PSAC championship team finished with a 20-12 record and was the first No. 4 seed to win a conference title since 1991. The Warriors won three games, two on the road and another at a neutral site, and came from behind in all three games, culminating with a 90-85 win at West Chester to cut down the nets.
ESU set the school record with 24 wins in 2010 and won a share of the PSAC East title for the first time since 1992. The season also featured a national ranking for six straight weeks, rising as high as No. 12 on February 9, and an appearance in the PSAC semifinals, where the Warriors fell 67-63 to eventual national runner-up IUP.
The Warriors landed two players on the All-PSAC East team in guards Andy Heimbach and Robby Pines. King was named the PSAC East Freshman of the Year, one of three freshmen who combined to earn 11 of the 15 weekly awards from the conference for first-year players.
In 2011, ESU had two All-PSAC East selections in Johnson, a sophomore, and senior forward Mike Tobin. The Warriors went 16-12 and won their PSAC quarterfinal game at Kutztown before falling to eventual champion IUP in the semifinals.
Johnson, a first team All-PSAC East selection, and King, the PSAC Tournament MVP, were both juniors in 2012 when the Warriors broke through to win the PSAC title. Senior point guard Russell Graham III joined King on the All-PSAC East second team.
Potts has served alongside Wilson since he was named head coach prior to the 2002-03 season. He has been ESU’s recruiting coordinator since arriving on campus and also assists with player development and scouting. He has coached All-PSAC East selections Rich Baker, Anthony Ross, Danny Hargrove, Darron Bradley, Chris Bach, Channon Easley, Heimbach, Pines, Mike Tobin, Johnson, King, Graham III, Grant, Matt Tobin and Moore. He also serves as the co-director of Warrior Basketball camps.
Potts also served as the acting head coach of the women's basketball program for the 2009-10 season, coaching both ends of doubleheaders and a total of 55 games during the season. He was recognized with ESU's "Winning Warrior Award" for his efforts that winter.
Prior to joining Wilson on the sidelines at ESU, Potts served as an assistant coach at Moravian College, his alma mater, where his responsibilities included recruiting and summer camps.
Potts graduated from Moravian in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in English, and earned his master’s degree in Exercise Science from ESU in the summer of 2007. Potts resides in Bethlehem, Pa. with his wife, Caroline, and their daughters Quinn, born April 2012, and Kennedy, born July 2014.
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