{{short description|American basketball coach}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}} {{Infobox college coach | name = Chico Potts | image = | alt = | caption = | current_title = | current_team = | current_conference = | current_record = | contract = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1976|2|28}} | birth_place = Indianola, Mississippi, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | alma_mater = | player_years1 = 1995–1997 | player_team1 = Lon Morris | player_years2 = 1997–1998 | player_team2 = LSU | player_years3 = 1999–2000 | player_team3 = Delta State | player_positions = Forward | coach_years1 = 2001–2002 | coach_team1 = Delta State (grad. asst.) | coach_years2 = 2002–2003 | coach_team2 = Greenville Weston HS (asst.) | coach_years3 = 2003–2006 | coach_team3 = Tupelo HS (asst.) | coach_years4 = 2006–2008 | coach_team4 = Delta State (asst.) | coach_years5 = 2008–2012 | coach_team5 = Mississippi Valley State (asst.) | coach_years6 = 2012–2014 | coach_team6 = Mississippi Valley State | coach_years7 = 2014–2022 | coach_team7 =Gentry HS | coach_years8 = 2022–present | coach_team8 = Horn Lake HS | overall_record = {{winpct|14|46|record=y}} (college) | bowl_record = | tournament_record = | championships = | awards = | coaching_records = }}
'''Alfrico V. "Chico" Potts''' (born February 28, 1976) is an American basketball coach who is currently head boys' basketball coach at Horn Lake HS. From 2012 to 2014, he was men's basketball head coach for Mississippi Valley State University.<ref>{{cite web|last=Minichino|first=Adam|url=https://cdispatch.com/news/potts-says-no-to-chs-coaching-gig/|title=Potts says no to CHS coaching gig|work=The Commercial Dispatch|date=July 13, 2016|access-date=January 10, 2025}}</ref> He played college basketball at Lon Morris College, LSU, and Delta State and has been a high school and college basketball coach since 2001.
==Early life and education== Alfrico V. Potts grew up in Indianola, Mississippi, graduating from Gentry High School in 1995.<ref name="to be inducted"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lbo.ms.gov/misc/FY12_BudgetRequests/266-00.pdf|title=Budget request for fiscal year ending June 30, 2012|publisher=Mississippi Legislative Budget Office|access-date=January 28, 2025|page=90}}</ref> Although he initially signed with Liberty University out of high school, Potts began his college basketball career at Lon Morris College, a junior college in Jacksonville, Texas.<ref name="to be inducted">{{cite web|last=Davis|first=Bryan|url=https://www.enterprise-tocsin.com/local-news/chico-potts-be-inducted-dsu-athletics-hof|title=Chico Potts to be inducted into DSU athletics HOF|work=The Enterprise-Tocsin|date=November 19, 2021|access-date=January 28, 2025}}</ref><ref name=MVSU>{{cite web|title=Chico Potts|url=https://mvsusports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/chico-potts/6|publisher=Mississippi Valley State University|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140420040700/http://mvsusports.com/coaches.aspx?rc=77&path=mbball|archive-date=April 20, 2014|access-date=January 28, 2025}}</ref> At Lon Morris, Potts averaged 11.1 points and 7.4 rebounds.<ref name="LSU outlook">{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980421114245/http://sports.lsu.edu/mbkb/outlook.htm|archive-date=April 21, 1998|title=1997-98 season outlook|url=http://sports.lsu.edu/mbkb/outlook.htm|publisher=Louisiana State University|access-date=January 28, 2025|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In 1997, Potts transferred to Louisiana State University.<ref name="LSU outlook"/> A 6-foot-6, 225-pound forward on the LSU Tigers in 1997–98, Potts played in 26 games with one start, averaging 2.9 points and 2.2 rebounds under head coach John Brady.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/chico-potts-2.html|title=Chico Potts|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=January 28, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980421114253/http://sports.lsu.edu/mbkb/roster.htm|archive-date=April 21, 1998|title=1997-98 LSU Men's Basketball Roster|url=http://sports.lsu.edu/mbkb/roster.htm|publisher=Louisiana State University|access-date=January 28, 2025|url-status=dead}}</reF> After redshirting in 1998–99, Potts transferred to Delta State University, playing his final season of college basketball there in 1999–2000 and graduating from Delta State with a bachelor's degree in physical education.<ref name="to be inducted"/><ref name=MVSU />
==Coaching career== ===Early coaching career (2001–2008)===
While pursuing his master's degree at Delta State, Potts was a graduate assistant for Delta State in 2001–02 and completed his degree in 2002. Potts then was junior varsity boys' head coach and assistant varsity boys' head coach at Greenville Weston High School in 2002–03, then had the same jobs at Tupelo High School from 2003 to 2006. From 2006 to 2008, Potts was assistant coach at Delta State.<ref name=MVSU />
===Mississippi Valley State assistant and head coach (2008–2014)===
Potts then coached for six years at Mississippi Valley State, starting as an assistant coach from 2008 to 2012 under head coach Sean Woods.<ref name=MVSU /> In the 2011–12 season, Mississippi Valley State had a 17-game win streak that was second longest in NCAA Division I, won the Southwestern Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships, and qualified for the NCAA Tournament.<ref name=MVSU />
After Woods resigned to become head coach at Morehead State, Mississippi Valley State promoted Potts to head coach on June 18, 2012.<ref>{{cite web|last=Mister|first=Kenneth|url=https://mvsusports.com/news/2012/6/18/MBB_0618125529.aspx|title=Potts named head men's basketball coach|publisher=Mississippi Valley State University|date=June 18, 2012|access-date=January 28, 2025}}</ref>
On July 12, 2013, Mississippi Valley State suspended Potts after he was arrested for domestic violence.<ref>{{cite web|last=Katz|first=Andy|url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9472636/chico-potts-mississippi-valley-delta-devils-suspended-arrest|title=Chico Potts suspended after arrest|publisher=ESPN|date=July 12, 2013|access-date=January 28, 2025}}</ref> Prosecutors dropped the charges five days later, and Mississippi Valley State reinstated Potts on July 23.<ref>{{cite web|last=Eisenberg|first=Jeff|title=Mississippi Valley State reinstates suspended coach Chico Potts|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab-the-dagger/mississippi-valley-state-reinstates-suspended-coach-chico-potts-223516818.html|publisher=Yahoo Sports|date=July 23, 2013|access-date=January 28, 2025}}</ref>
Potts had a 14–46 record in two seasons as Mississippi Valley State head coach.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/coaches/chico-potts-1.html|title=Chico Potts: Coaches Index|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=January 28, 2025}}</ref> Following the 2013–14 season, Mississippi Valley State reassigned Potts to a different job in the athletics department in March 2014 before firing him.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/hirings-and-firings-2014-college-basketball-coaching-changes/|title=Hirings and firings: 2014 college basketball coaching changes|last=Borzello|first=Jeff|publisher=CBS Sports|date=September 3, 2014|access-date=January 28, 2025}}</ref>
===High school coach (2014–present)=== In 2014, Potts returned to Gentry High School as varsity boys' basketball head coach. In eight seasons, Potts had winning records every season, including a 30–4 season in 2017–18.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.maxpreps.com/ms/indianola/gentry-rams/basketball/history/|title=Gentry Basketball History|publisher=Maxpreps|access-date=January 28, 2025}}</ref>
Beginning in 2022, Potts became head coach at Horn Lake High School.<reF>{{cite web|last=Bakken|first=Bob|title=Potts named new Eagles basketball coach|url=https://desotocountynews.com/desoto-county-sports/potts-named-new-eagles-basketball-coach/|work=DeSoto County News|date=April 14, 2022|access-date=January 28, 2025}}</ref>
==Head coaching record== {{CBB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | conference = | postseason = | poll = no }} {{CBB Yearly Record Subhead | name = Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils | conference = Southwestern Athletic Conference | startyear = 2012 | endyear = 2014 }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | season = 2012–13 | name = Mississippi Valley State | overall = 5–23 | conference = 5–13 | confstanding =9th | championship = | postseason = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | season = 2013–14 | name = Mississippi Valley State | overall = 9–23 | conference = 5–13 | confstanding =9th | championship = | postseason = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal | name = Mississippi Valley State | overall = {{winpct|14|46|record=y}} | confrecord = {{winpct|10|26|record=y}} }} {{CBB Yearly Record End | overall = {{winpct|14|46|record=y}} | poll = no | polltype = no }}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils basketball coach navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Potts, Chico}} Category:1976 births Category:Living people Category:American men's basketball coaches Category:College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Category:Delta State Statesmen basketball coaches Category:Delta State Statesmen basketball players Category:High school basketball coaches in Mississippi Category:LSU Tigers men's basketball players Category:Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils basketball coaches Category:American men's basketball players Category:Forwards (basketball) Category:Lon Morris Bearcats basketball players Category:People from Indianola, Mississippi Category:Basketball players from Mississippi Category:Basketball coaches from Mississippi