Three-sport standout Damon Potter flies like raven in honor of late grandfather
BEAUMONT — The Beaumont boys’ volleyball team goes through its paces at an April practice.
Kanye West’s “Champion” reverberates.
“Did you realize that you were a champion in their eyes?” West sings.
Standout Riley Conley sets a perfect one for star outside hitter Damon Potter. Potter rises like a bird — braids flying — and pounds the ball to the hardwood with a thud.
Damon Potter shows off his Raven tattoo in honor of his grandfather. Photo: John Murphy
“It feels really good to hit it over the blockers and to be so high over the net,” Potter says. “You get that release as soon as you know it’s going in.”
Potter, teammate Conley and Zion Smith from nearby Cajon of San Bernardino will take those good vibes next season to Alderson Broaddus University in West Virginia. They’ll play there on partial scholarships. For Potter and the memory of his late grandfather, Tomas Arellano, it’s practically heaven-sent.
THE RAVEN
Potter appears at the practice in all black. He lifts his jersey to reveal the tattoo of a raven.
“My grandfather always told me I would fly high and compared me to a raven,” Potters says. “He told me to try hard and do everything the best I can. He always thought I had the spirit to do well.”
Potter played three sports this year at Beaumont but excelled in basketball as a kid. He’d go to his grandpa’s house in Fontana and show off his basketball trophies. His grandpa doted on him.
Damon Potter has serious hops. Photo: John Murphy
“The raven tattoo was a little token showing how he and my dad had a bond,” said Marisol Arellano, the teen’s mother.
But Tomas, in declining health in his later years, passed away last fall. Potter learned the sad news from his aunt early one morning.
“It was super rough,” Potter says. “Super difficult. It’s hard not to be able to do things with him and to let go of all the memories and to see people crying about it.”
A NATURAL
Potter played football last fall before getting hurt. Then he averaged 6.2 points per game for Beaumont’s Citrus Belt League championship basketball team. But there were no plans to play volleyball. Then boys’ volleyball coach Ralph Conley, the father of Riley, stepped in.
“He told me I’d like it, but I was kind of unsure,” Potter says. “I went to an open gym and that changed my mind. I loved the way it felt when my hand hit the ball.”
Potter led the Cougars this spring to a 17-16 record with 10 kills and five blocks per game, using his impressive leaping ability to rise above foes.
“He’s personable and brings a lot of energy to the team,” Ralph Conley said last month. “He missed a lot of the preseason because of basketball but he’s like a sponge and wants to learn.”
Damon Potter will play volleyball next season at Alderson Broaddus University in West Virginia. Photo: John Murphy
Off the court, Potter is a cut-up who made a scene at an area hamburger emporium.
“I got dared to ask for a pizza at an In-N-Out,” Potter says. “So I asked and they said ‘no’ and I told them ‘I know you have it on the secret menu.’ Everyone was cracking up, even the workers in back.”
DREAM COME TRUE
Beaumont is playing Citrus Valley in mid-March and the 6-foot-4 Potter rises off his slender legs and meets the ball at its apex. He thunders a shot off the forehead of an opponent. The ball ricochets off the ceiling for a point.
Potter covers his face with his arm, concealing a laugh.
“The hit against Citrus Valley was really bad,” Riley Conley said. “I wouldn’t want to be on the other side of that.”
Potter takes his show on the road this fall to Alderson Broaddus, an NCAA Division 1 program. For Potter and the memory of his late grandpa, it’s a dream come true.
“He’d be ecstatic and super happy,” Potter says of his grandfather. “I’m going to try my hardest to make him proud.”
John Murphy is the sports editor for the Century Group Media of Southern California. Twitter: @PrepDawg2.
Photos below by John Murphy:
