NBA’S POTTER, WIFE SPREAD FAITH ON GUAM

By Nick Akimoto

The Potters are a dedicated duo. From improving at their respective sports, to committing themselves to the service of others, their dedication has brought them many opportunities. Now, that dedication has brought them to Guam, where they are hosting the ‘Next LVL Sports Camp’. At the camp, the Potters will be helping 3rd-12th graders develop their volleyball or basketball skills in hopes of imparting upon the the lessons that they’ve learned from the game and in life. 

The young married couple were brought here thanks in part to the coordinated efforts of Harvest Christian Academy. The clinics will be held throughout the week at the Family Life Center Gymnasium and the week will finish with a Teen Closeout Competition on Friday starting at 6 p.m. It is open to all teens for no charge and it will be a chance to interact with the Potters one more time and win some prizes. 

At the camp, the athletes have gotten the chance to learn from either of the highly-accompished Potters. 

Elle is a Former Star for the Loyola Chicago Ramblers from 2017 to 2020. Elle played Middle Blocker for the Ramblers during her four years with the program. She collected a total of 374 blocks and 845 kills during that time. At the end of her collegiate career, she found herself ranked third in the program’s history for total blocks, selected to the MVS Championship All-Tournament Team, and brought her team to an MVC Championship title match in her senior year. 

Micah is currently a center on a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz. At 6’10”, basketball has kept Micah on the move. Micah started his high school career at a local public school, but eventually moved to Florida to the prestigious Monteverde Academy, known for producing NBA caliber talent. In college, Micah started his career at Ohio State before eventually transferring to play for Wisconsin. Since he’s entered the league, Micah has played for a number of teams, but one of his more esteemed accomplishments has been being a part of the USA Basketball Men’s Select Team. As a member, Micah helped prepare the USA National team for the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

Making their Way to Guam 

While Micah and Elle may be on island to provide young athletes with advice and mentorship, their journey here was largely the result of a family history of service and relationships. 

Micah: 

“Growing up, my dad was a pastor. My grandpa was a pastor, so just through different connections through that stripe, they’ve been connected with people at Harvest for years. Titus [Baugus] is one of the assistant basketball coaches and his sister, Hope [Baugus], is principal of the [elementary] school. We’ve had connections with them.”

“So we’ve had a lot of connections to Harvest. My dad actually came out here in January to speak at a conference, and then, through that, he kind of brought up the idea of potentially having us come out here and do a sports camp with ministry tied to it. None of those details came into fruition right away because I was still in season, but it was always kind of stuck with my mind as it could be something that would be cool to do.” 

“And then Jared Baldwin, one of the pastors at Harvest. We’d been talking with him and then we set up a FaceTime Call and then kind of figured out some details. So it all came together in a two weeks span, I would say. The seed was planted back in January, but then everything, all the growth, came in like a two week span.” 

With thoughts of the island, the pair prepped themselves to enjoy their stay on Guam while helping others improve their game. 

Micah: 

“We have always wanted to do something ministry wise with our sports because that was our whole life, and still is with Micah. When it was brought up, at first, we’re like, ‘well we don’t really know what’s going on in our summer because our summers are so unclear, it is hard to plan’. I think everything aligned so perfectly and we’re super excited to be here. I really didn’t know that much about Guam, besides things that [Micah’s] dad had talked about, but as soon as we landed, you’re hit with that heat and the humidity. It’s been great so far, and love the palm trees, love the sun. We’re just really excited to be here and to use our sports to propel the gospel and just be a light through our athletic careers.” 

Lessons to Learn 

With so many years of experience at the highest level, Micah and Elle have a lot to offer to the next generation. 

Micah: 

“First and foremost, I want everyone to know that this is someplace where they’re gonna be able to get better in their sports, whether it’s volleyball or basketball. The gospel is the most important things in our lives, and being able to use that in the realm of sports is something I really want to be able to help teach. Whether that be controlling your attitude, focusing on using self control, which is one of the fruits of the Spirit, in an intense environment. Someone like me, I play in front of thousands, if not millions of people, depending on the situation. So there’s a lot of pressure and a lot of noise. Being able to use that self-control and hone in all of the noise and focus on the task at hand. That’s something that I want to really emphasize.” 

For Elle, the skills and traits that she honed through sports are the same ones that helped prepare her for entering the workforce. Elle wants to help develop volleyball players on the small details of the sport, but also help uplift them with moments that they will carry with them for the rest of their life.

Elle: 

“I would say just solely, and it might really be simple: your identity fall on your performance. I think you can get so wrapped up in that.” 

“Once you become a collegiate athlete, there’s higher stakes, there’s higher pressure, and you don’t want your sport to be your identity. My freshman year, I remember we were not very good, so that’s super discouraging when your entire identity is surrounded by your performance, your 

stats, how well you play, and that sort of thing. As Micah was saying, it’s a huge mental game. That Summer was when my relationship with Jesus completely changed and my identity wasn’t solely put on my stats or how many kills I would have. It was a huge learning process of who Elle was outside of volleyball and the classroom.” 

Since finishing college, Elle has done work with Student Athlete NIL to help college athletes navigate this new environment of NIL sports marketing. She also does work as an independent contractor for Her Competitive Advantage. Elle has found that lessons of teamwork and communication have helped her in the workforce, but most essential of all of them is to not allow yourself to be completely absorbed by one focus. 

Elle: 

“Your sport is going to fail you, your job’s going to fail you, but at the end of the day, your relationship with Jesus isn’t.” 

For Micah, there were many lessons to learn at each step of the journey. Micah intends to share with athletes the things he wishes he would have prepared for at each next step. 

Micah: 

“When I went to a local public high school and transferred to Monteverde Academy, which is kind of like a high school basketball powerhouse. Understanding that the little things matter. I’ve never been the most athletic. I’ve never been the most skilled, but at every level that I’ve gotten to, the little things have been able to get me to that point.” 

“High school to college, the biggest thing for me was because I was a lot different than 99% of college students. [I had to learn to] expect to be alone. I didn’t party. I didn’t go out. I didn’t drink. I didn’t do any of that stuff. The thing that I was focused on was getting good grades and performing on a basketball floor. That’s not to say you can’t have fun. I ended up finding my own ways to have fun because that’s the time we’re figuring out who you are as an adult. Who you want to be as a human being. What friends you want to hang with, all that kind of stuff. But expect to have to make the hard decisions and expect to be alone. That was for me at least because, as a believer, I conduct myself in a certain way, or at least I try to emulate Jesus in as much of a way that I can, or as best a way that I can.” 

“Going from the college to the NBA, the thing I wish I would have known is that relationships don’t matter. Being a Christian, relationships are probably the most important thing in your life, and, in the business of basketball, they mean nothing. In some ways they do. You could do

everything right, and, when I say do everything right, I mean like be on time, do what you’re supposed to do, be a good teammate. You’re going to make mistakes within the course of your career, but as far as the things that you can control, like your effort, your attitude, being on time, things like that. In the transactional business of basketball means nothing. It’s a game and I get to play a game for a living, but it is a business at the end of the day. So be prepared to be disappointed. At the NBA level, it changes because everyone’s been able to do those little things and then the talent starts to kind of take over to a certain extent.” 

Taking Guam to the ‘Next LVL’ 

The Potters are excited to offer as much of what they know about their respective sports to the young athletes of Guam. With the level of competition they’ve faced, they want to emphasize the importance of enjoying the opportunity that young athletes have to play and learn from their sports. 

Micah: 

“The biggest thing I talked to a boy this morning after church was ‘Control what you can control.’ Whatever your hand finds to do, do so with all your might. It’s, like I said, doing the little things. Because whether it’s sports or not (hopefully we’ll meet a lot of really good athletes this week) the little things matter. As a believer and as a human being who’s trying to make it in life or make it in sports, giving it your all and in every aspect and doing the little things will matter in every aspect of life. Being on time, doing what you’re supposed to do the way you’re supposed to do it. Being diligent, doing extra reps. Playing as hard as you can, being a good teammate, being a vocal teammate and leader, those attributes contribute to every aspect of life. Regardless of what business you’re in or whether you play sports, all of that stuff matters in every aspect of life.” 

With the camp comes an opportunity for massive detail-oriented improvement, but, for Elle, it is also a great opportunity for fun. 

Elle: 

“I think I’m most excited about the competitive aspect and playing. That’s really the whole point. That’s why God gave us sports. To move our bodies, being grateful for the body that you were given and waking up each day! Expecting a lot of fun and hopefully there’ll be some good competition.” 

Micah shared the same sentiment, but emphasized how the competitive environment will fuel the fun. 

Micah: 

“We’re going to focus on skill development and then competing. That’s something that I think is necessary in the development of any athlete. Like Elle said, the fun comes from the competition. The drills get boring after a while. The competition’s where the fun is at and that’s what

everyone looks forward to. The competition is what makes or breaks people. It should be fun, but there’s also the work involved, and that’s what you should expect.”