Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Isis Poteet will play college basketball at Santa Barbara City College.

By Ray Hamill — Eureka senior Isis Poteet is excited about the next adventure in her life, and in particular she is looking forward to discovering some new beaches along the way.

Poteet, who was a two-sport star during her time with the Loggers, recently signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Santa Barbara City College after graduation.

And she’s looking forward to the new challenge on the court, but that’s not all.

One of the reasons she choose to play for Santa Barbara, she says, is the school’s proximity to the beach.

“It was beautiful, it was perfect,” she said of the area after visiting the campus earlier this year. “It’s not too big and it’s right on the beach. It’s just beautiful.”

The Eureka standout says she loves spending time on the local beaches here in Humboldt County and is looking forward to doing the same in Santa Barbara.

“I love it, it’s calming,” she said.

The school’s student housing center is called Beach City and is just minutes from campus, all of which could make the move south a perfect one for the outgoing senior.

But making that decision wasn’t an easy one for Poteet, who also was an all-league selection on the volleyball court and had options to continue playing either sport at the next level.

She admits that she first considered playing volleyball in college, but circumstances and opportunities made her reconsider her options and she ended up choosing to continue her basketball career instead.

Judging by the impact she had at Eureka High School, Poteet would likely have succeeded in either sport.

On the basketball court, she was a rare three-time Dick Niclai tournament winner with the school and was named co-MVP of the Big 5 as a senior, along with teammate Kaitlin Giacone.

But it’s the time she spent with her teammates that Poteet says she will remember the most from her days at Eureka.

“My biggest friendships have been with people through sports,” she said. “And I feel the coaches and the players I played with, I’ll always remember forever. They all had a big impact on me, in basketball and in life.

“I’ll definitely remember going to practice every day and seeing them and being goofy together.

“The road trips were really fun and they really did bring us closer. We all depended on each other and that’s what a team is.”

Poteet will join a Vaqueros program that was 13-17 last winter, including a 6-6 record in the Western State – North Conference.

She plans on majoring in Real Estate and would like to play at a four-year program after her days at Santa Barbara, a school that has a good reputation for sending its players on to university programs.

In addition to the proximity to the beach, the SoCal school will also give the self-described “adventurous” Poteet a chance to experience a new area, something she also says she is looking forward to.

“I really didn’t want to be that close to Humboldt any more,” she admitted. “I wanted to move away. I like to be adventurous and I’ve always been very independent.

“Humboldt is such a small place. I feel like I want to make new bonds with new people.”

Poteet, who also played softball and golf at Eureka High, says coach Ana Vainuku has been one of the biggest influences in her career.

“She made me want to not quit,” Poteet said. “She made me push harder and work harder.”

Poteet’s family, friends, teammates and coaches all were on hand at the recent letter signing ceremony.

“I really appreciate my teammates and my coaches,” she added. “Especially Romeo Steele and Jesse Genaro.”