UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Penn State women’s basketball head coach Tanisha Wright announces another Lady Lion will return home to serve on staff. Angie Potthoff (PSU 1992-97) returns to Happy Valley as the Chief of Staff following a most recent stint at Notre Dame as the Director of Operations for the last seven years.
“I am overjoyed to have another Lady Lion come back home and work for Penn State women’s basketball,” Wright said. “Having the knowledge of what this program needs to succeed through her own experience will be more than beneficial working on our staff.”
Potthoff is a three-time Associated Press All-American, earning two honorable mention honors (1995 and 1997) and a third team nod (1996). She also secured Kodak/WBCA All-American honorable mention on two occasions throughout her career (1996 and 1997). In addition, she was a three-time first team All-Big Ten selection (1995-97). The All-American forward played at Penn State from 1992-97, guiding her team to three NCAA Tournament appearances including two trips to the Sweet 16 and a berth in the 1994 regional final. In each of her final three seasons at Penn State, Potthoff led the Lady Lions in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage. She finished her career with 1,724 points and 904 rebounds. Potthoff inked her name in the Lady Lion history book, still holding the program record for field goal percentage (57.4).
Following her prolific collegiate career, Potthoff spent here seasons playing professional basketball. She was drafted no. 12 overall in the 1997 American Basketball League Draft by the Columbus Quest. There, she averaged 6.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while helping her team to two championships. The following summer, Potthoff was selected in the fourth round (49th overall) of the WNBA Draft to the Minnesota Lynx.
In addition to her college and professional experience, Potthoff also competed on an international level. In 1997, she was named to the U.S. World University Games, where she averaged 6.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game and helped Team USA win the gold medal with a perfect 6-0 record.
After retiring from professional basketball, Potthoff began her coaching career as a graduate assistant at Indiana (Pa.) University in 1999-2000, aiding the Indians to a 24-5 record (the second-highest win total in school history), a school-record No. 4 national ranking during the season, and a trip to the NCAA Division II playoffs. The Lady Lion legend landed her first full-time role as an assistant for Robert Morris from 2000-02. The renowned post player was hired as an assistant coach at Notre Dame in 2005, focusing on post-player development and recruiting.
She spent time on the administration side of athletics for five years as the Athletic Director for the Chartiers Valley School District from 2014-19. After her stretch in high school leadership, Potthoff transitioned back to Notre Dame as the Director of Operations in 2019 where she has spent six years overseeing operations for the women’s basketball program. This last year she spent in the athletic departments, NIL office and the university and managed the centralized operations program for the Olympic sports.