Coaching has always been in Liz Potash�s blood.
As a junior at Ursinus College, the Abington High School graduate coached the seventh-grade basketball team at Perkiomen Valley. She has been coaching ever since.
Pending school board approval, Potash has been named the new varsity girls basketball coach at Central Bucks East.
�Even when I was still playing in high school, I knew coaching was something I wanted to do,� Potash said.
According to East athletic director John Reading, the longtime Council Rock North assistant, who was head coach for a year while Lou Palkovics took a leave of absence two seasons ago, was a natural choice to fill the position.
�Liz interviewed very, very well with the committee,� Reading said. �We all were unanimous with our decision of her being a top prospect.
Potash fills the position that was vacated when Tom Lonergan resigned to take over the helm at Gwynedd-Mercy Academy. Lonergan�s legacy at East included 11 conference titles in 14 years and a 305-93 record.
�I wasn�t looking to leave Council Rock, but there are two great coaches at Council Rock,� Potash said. �If I�m not going to have an opportunity now, who knows when it will open up?
Potash�s resume is a lengthy one.
While student teaching at North Penn, she was a varsity assistant under Jim Crawford, and when she landed a teaching position at Council Rock the following year, she began a seven-year stint as the varsity assistant.
After two years away from coaching, Potash agreed to take over the helm at CR North while Palkovics took a leave of absence for the 2011-12 season.
This past winter, she was the varsity assistant to coach Monica Stolic at Council Rock South.
�They�re all pretty different in terms of styles, but you learn something from each one,� Potash said. �You figure out what works for you and go from there.
Former Council Rock North assistant Julie (Sailer) Osbeck will be Potash�s varsity assistant.