Triad in transition: Knights hire new boys and girls basketball coaches

The Triad High boys and girls basketball programs will look a bit different next season, though the major transitions involve familiar faces.

Longtime Triad boys basketball coach Sam Drake has resigned after 11 seasons and is being replaced by Josh Hunt. Hunt was a former Triad boys basketball assistant for seven years who spent the last three seasons as head coach of the Knights’ girls basketball team.

With Hunt switching back to the boys side of the program, current boys basketball freshman coach Stephanie Harris Potthast has been hired as Triad’s new varsity girls basketball coach.

Drake’s teams won four straight Mississippi Valley Conference championships from 2009 to 2012, but the Knights’ last boys basketball regional and sectional titles came in 2003 under Todd Grigg.

“One of the real rewarding things about having the job was the quality of kids we have at Triad and have come through here,” Drake said. “Since I’ve resigned I’ve had a lot of them call and text and email — and that brings a lot of those memories back for how good of guys they were.”

Drake’s teams underwent with a youth movement in recent seasons. After 6-22, 7-20 and 7-21 seasons, the Knights improved to 10-18 this season. They also had one of the top players in the conference in junior Noah Moss, who averaged 17.7 points per game, while sophomore Beau Barbour averaged 10.3 points.

“It seemed like we were fighting a little bit of an uphill battle in recent years,” Drake said. “We went the route of playing a bunch of young guys the last few years, so hopefully that pays off for them next year. It’s a really good group.”

Drake will continue on as a Triad baseball assistant, but also hopes to spend more time with his family.

“I’ve got two young boys and they’re involved in a lot of stuff,” he said. “It was one of those decisions where I wanted to spend more time with them and coach their teams.”

Triad in transition

Triad Athletic Director Kenny Deatherage said the transition in both programs will be made easier by the familiar faces.

“This was a decision that Sam made on his own,” Deatherage said. “He wanted to spend more time with his boys and his family and that was his choice. He’s done a great job for us over his tenure and we’re sad to see him move on, but we’re ready to move in another direction.”

Hunt, 37, and Drake both went to Edwardsville High School and wound up coaching at Triad. Now Hunt will replace his former boss.

“It wasn’t a decision I made immediately because I felt loyalty to the girls,” said Hunt, whose girls basketball teams was 23-4 this season after 19-10 and 10-17 seasons. “At the end of the day I felt it was the right move for me. I’d coached boys before and I just felt it was an opportunity, a new challenge and a new environment.

“My first concern was definitely the girls program and where it would be. Once I talked to Stephanie and knew she would he interested in taking care of the girls, I felt more comfortable.”

Hunt said there’s talent at the current varsity level and the lower levels as well.

Hunt has sons in first and fourth grade that both participate in the Little Knights youth basketball program. He also has a fourth-grade daughter.

“I’ve already had a meeting in the Little Knights and we’re all on the same page moving forward,” said Hunt, who will retain Jeff Faulkenberg as an assistant.

“Josh knows our system, he knows our kids and he’s been involved with the kids at the lower level as an elementary teacher,” Deatherage said. “I think it’s going to be a great fit and a very smooth transition. Josh created quiet a tight-knit family with the girls program, that’s how he runs his team and they became pretty close.”

New girls coach

Now the girls program is in the experienced hands of Potthast, who has a wealth of coaching experience despite being only 26. The former Highland High basketball and golf standout began coaching during her sophomore year at McKendree University, doing two seasons as Highland’s girls freshmen coach under then-varsity girls coach Matt Elledge.

“Matt Elledge gave me the opportunity and basketball as always been a passion of mine,” she said of Elledge, who recently resigned as boys varsity coach at Highland.

She also was a Highland varsity assistant for two years, all while still attending college. Potthast played basketball and golf as a freshman at McKendree, then was on the golf team her final three years.

The daughter of former Southwestern Illinois College and McKendree player Barry Harris from Alhambra, Potthast served as Jerseyville’s girls varsity basketball coach for one year and has been Triad’s freshman boys basketball coach the past two seasons.

“It wasn’t much different, to be honest,” Potthast said of the differences in coaching boys and girls. “I enjoyed coaching the boys and basketball is basketball in my eyes. Ultimately you’re coaching the same game and hoping for the same results. I’m very competitive at everything I do, sports, or in the workplace, I want to be the best.”

Potthast teaches business and computer education at Triad.

Triad’s girls team had one of the area’s top players this season in Central Methodist recruit and senior Sophie Thompson.

“Losing Thompson is a huge loss and filling Josh’s shoes is going to be a big task,” Potthast said. “The boys are going to be in god hands an the girls are as well. We do have some talent back.”

Deatherage said Potthast is a high quality addition to the varsity staff.

“I think she’s going to be a tremendous fit,” he said. “(Josh) wasn’t going to make the move if we didn’t have a quality coach to take over and she does a great job. She commands respect, runs a great program and she’s been successful everywhere that she’s been.

“She did a great job with our freshmen boys here this year. I’m just glad she’s on our side.”

This story was originally published March 25, 2016 at 10:29 AM with the headline "Triad in transition: Knights hire new boys and girls basketball coaches."