Winnipeg’s Potter proud to represent Canada at Oly qualifying hoops tourney

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This article was published 07/02/2024 (601 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Emily Potter was in Australia last month when she received the most important invitation of her career.

On the other end of an emotional phone call was Victor Lapeña, head coach of the Canadian senior women’s national basketball team, who told the Winnipeg-born centre she’d been selected to help the program attempt to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Potter immediately took a leave from her pro team, the Perth Lynx of the Women’s National Basketball League, flew to Vienna to train with the national team and then headed to Sopron, Hungary, for the FIBA women’s basketball Olympic qualifier tournament.

The Canadian women open against the host country Thursday at noon CT.

“It’s definitely the biggest team and spot I’ve been at in my basketball career,” Potter said Wednesday. “I was kind of shocked, not gonna lie, but in a great way. I’m always happy to be here and represent Canada.

“When you’re in it, you’re just focused on practising, trying to get ready. So, maybe in hindsight it’ll feel a little bit crazier but it kind of has been a whirlwind,” said the Glenlawn Collegiate graduate, who calls Winnipeg home during the off-season.

The No. 7-ranked Canadian squad is pooled with No. 6 Spain, No. 8 Japan and No. 13 Hungary in the 16-team tournament. As long as Canada cracks the top three in the pool, it qualifies for the Summer Games.

Ten of 12 spots for Paris are still up for grabs. France is automatically in as the host country, while the U.S. secured a spot following its victory at the 2022 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

The Canadians will be without star guard Kia Nurse, who suffered a minor injury leading up to this week’s tournament. She is expected to return for the Olympics should Canada punch its ticket.

The national coaching staff is already quite familiar with Potter’s game.

The 28-year-old played in the FIBA women’s Americup in Mexico last summer when the Canadian women finished third. She also played in the Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru in 2019.

At 6-4, Potter is the tallest player on this year’s squad and the only one listed as a centre, which could pave the way to significant minutes over the next few days.

“Emily has been committed and improving throughout the quadrennial,” said Lapeña. “She always answers when I call her and we love how she works. She is a great teammate, adds to the environment and always competes. Emily adds a presence at the rim on both ends. We are excited she is here with us.”

Potter is the only Manitoban-born player on the squad, a badge she wears proudly.

“I love, first of all, being Canadian,” she said. “But even more so, I love being from Manitoba and being able to represent that province.

“We’re kind of a small but mighty province and basketball is definitely growing even in the time that I’ve been playing, she continued. “I just love to see the game continue to grow within not only my province but all of Canada. I think that’s been super evident in the last decade for sure — men and women.”

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While this week holds the most weight in Potter’s career, she’s adamant about not pressuring herself to perform— which is, coincidentally, the opposite approach she takes with her pro team.

“When I come into a national team, I feel like you’ve already done your work and laid your foundation to get there, so it’s time to just work your hardest and have the most fun,” she said.

After the contest against Hungary, Canada faces Spain on Friday and wraps up against Japan on Sunday.

jfreysam@freepress.mb.ca

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Joshua Frey-Sam
Reporter

Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh.

Every piece of reporting Josh produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.