Men's Basketball
Potosnak, Ken
Ken Potosnak
- Title:
- Men's Basketball Assistant Coach
- Email:
- potosnakk@ecu.edu
- Phone:
- (252) 737-4596
Ken Potosnak, now in his 28th season coaching at the Division I level, begins his 10th year as a part of the ECU coaching staff after being retained by head coach Joe Dooley following a coaching change following the 2017-18 campaign.
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After serving nine years as an assistant coach at ECU, Potosnak will serve as assistant to the head coach in 2019-20 and act as an advisor, provide analysis for the purposes of program and player development as well as analyze film of opponents to contribute to the development of game strategy.
As a member of the ECU coaching staff, Potosnak helped the Pirates construct their most successful four-year period in the school Division I history. The Pirates have made three postseason appearances, won 20 games for the first time as a Division I institution and captured the 2013 CIT title with Potosnak on the bench.
Six players have earned all-conference honors during Potosnak’s tenure, while five players have garnered American Athletic Conference All-Rookie Team accolades. Three players have also received specialty awards: Brock Young (2011 Conference USA Sixth Man-of-the-Year), Prince Williams (2016 American Athletic Conference Most Improved Player) and Shawn Williams (2018 American Athletic Conference Rookie-of-the-Year).
Prior to ECU, Potosnak spent one season with Lebo as an assistant coach at Auburn after serving in the same capacity at South Carolina for three years under former ECU coach Dave Odom from 2005-08; helping guide the Gamecocks to their second consecutive NIT title in 2006. Among the players Potosnak coached at South Carolina were future NBA players: Renaldo Blackman (2006 NBA Draft First Round pick), Tarence Kinsey and Brandon Wallace. His recruiting efforts resulted in the Gamecocks landing a top 20 recruiting class in 2006, which featured three-time First-Team All-SEC point guard Devan Downey and 2011 SEC Defensive Player-of-the-Year Sam Muldrow. That class claimed a share of the 2009 SEC Eastern Division title, the program’s first since 1997.
Prededing his time in Columbia, Potosnak was the top assistant at Furman for eight years from 1997-2005. His recruiting efforts landed six All-Southern Conference performers, including 2005 SoCon Freshman-of-the-Year Quan Prowell. The Paladins made their first SoCon Championship game appearance since 1980 in 2002 with Potosnak assisting.
A renowned recruiter throughout the United States, he has concentrated efforts internationally where he recruited Brazilian guard Guilherme Da Luz, French forward Karim Souchu and Senegalese forward Malaye Ndoye, who were All-Southern Conference selections at Furman.
Potosnak made his way to Furman after he served as an assistant at The Citadel for five years (1992-97). He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant to Odom at Wake Forest for two seasons from 1990-92, helping the Demon Deacons to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances with teams that featured future NBA players Randolph Childress, Rodney Rogers, Chris King and Anthony Tucker.
The New Kensington, Pa., native has extensive experience as a working camps and clinics both domestically and internationally. He was a longtime coach at the Five-Star Basketball Camp and operator of offseason professional player development workouts in Atlanta. His expertise in the game has taken him throughout Europe and Asia.
Potosnak is a 1990 graduate of Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Va., where he helped lead the Yellow Jackets to a pair of top 25 finishes in 1989 (No. 22) and 1990 (No. 14). As a senior guard leading his team to the NCAA Division III Tournament in 1990, he was named Randolph-Macon’s Scholar Athlete-of-the-Year. He earned a master’s degree from Wake Forest in 1992.
He is married to Sherry McWherter of Durham, N.C.
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After serving nine years as an assistant coach at ECU, Potosnak will serve as assistant to the head coach in 2019-20 and act as an advisor, provide analysis for the purposes of program and player development as well as analyze film of opponents to contribute to the development of game strategy.
As a member of the ECU coaching staff, Potosnak helped the Pirates construct their most successful four-year period in the school Division I history. The Pirates have made three postseason appearances, won 20 games for the first time as a Division I institution and captured the 2013 CIT title with Potosnak on the bench.
Six players have earned all-conference honors during Potosnak’s tenure, while five players have garnered American Athletic Conference All-Rookie Team accolades. Three players have also received specialty awards: Brock Young (2011 Conference USA Sixth Man-of-the-Year), Prince Williams (2016 American Athletic Conference Most Improved Player) and Shawn Williams (2018 American Athletic Conference Rookie-of-the-Year).
Prior to ECU, Potosnak spent one season with Lebo as an assistant coach at Auburn after serving in the same capacity at South Carolina for three years under former ECU coach Dave Odom from 2005-08; helping guide the Gamecocks to their second consecutive NIT title in 2006. Among the players Potosnak coached at South Carolina were future NBA players: Renaldo Blackman (2006 NBA Draft First Round pick), Tarence Kinsey and Brandon Wallace. His recruiting efforts resulted in the Gamecocks landing a top 20 recruiting class in 2006, which featured three-time First-Team All-SEC point guard Devan Downey and 2011 SEC Defensive Player-of-the-Year Sam Muldrow. That class claimed a share of the 2009 SEC Eastern Division title, the program’s first since 1997.
Prededing his time in Columbia, Potosnak was the top assistant at Furman for eight years from 1997-2005. His recruiting efforts landed six All-Southern Conference performers, including 2005 SoCon Freshman-of-the-Year Quan Prowell. The Paladins made their first SoCon Championship game appearance since 1980 in 2002 with Potosnak assisting.
A renowned recruiter throughout the United States, he has concentrated efforts internationally where he recruited Brazilian guard Guilherme Da Luz, French forward Karim Souchu and Senegalese forward Malaye Ndoye, who were All-Southern Conference selections at Furman.
Potosnak made his way to Furman after he served as an assistant at The Citadel for five years (1992-97). He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant to Odom at Wake Forest for two seasons from 1990-92, helping the Demon Deacons to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances with teams that featured future NBA players Randolph Childress, Rodney Rogers, Chris King and Anthony Tucker.
The New Kensington, Pa., native has extensive experience as a working camps and clinics both domestically and internationally. He was a longtime coach at the Five-Star Basketball Camp and operator of offseason professional player development workouts in Atlanta. His expertise in the game has taken him throughout Europe and Asia.
Potosnak is a 1990 graduate of Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Va., where he helped lead the Yellow Jackets to a pair of top 25 finishes in 1989 (No. 22) and 1990 (No. 14). As a senior guard leading his team to the NCAA Division III Tournament in 1990, he was named Randolph-Macon’s Scholar Athlete-of-the-Year. He earned a master’s degree from Wake Forest in 1992.
He is married to Sherry McWherter of Durham, N.C.
Mike Schwartz Presser
Thursday, October 10
Inside Pirate Athletics (Feb. 26, 2024)
Tuesday, February 27
ECU Presser vs Charlotte
Saturday, February 03
Inside Pirate Athletics (Jan. 29, 2024)
Tuesday, January 30
