Here for Who Was There

While facing two of the most emotional moments in her life, Brandi Vega immediately reached out to coach and mentor Matt Potter.

In the summer of 2010, Vega was preparing for her sophomore season as a member of the Washington State soccer team. After receiving an emergency phone call, she returned home to her native Nevada to be with her father, who had been rushed to the hospital with sclerosis of the liver. When her father passed away eight days later on July 31, Vega quickly telephoned Potter.

“I was obviously a wreck and he just told me, 'We'll get through this. We'll be OK,' ” Vega said of Potter. “Just knowing that you had someone there for you … having a coach who cares about you more as a person.”

Following her father's funeral, Vega promptly rejoined her team in Pullman, Wash.

“I got back to the team as soon as possible, to get back to normal and not think about it so much,” Vega explained.

Vega became an accomplished player at WSU (2009-12), playing her first three seasons under Potter before he departed to become Oklahoma's coach in December 2011.

In November 2014, Potter knew she was about to play her final season as a pro in Spain. Once again, she reached out to Potter, this time with a letter.

"You connect with players in different ways and Brandi was one (where) there was a mutual respect right from the get-go. The relationship that grew with respect was out of an authenticity. We never sugar-coated anything to each other. There was always an open dialogue, but it was based out of a care. That evolved over time to be what it is today."
— Matt Potter

“I knew I was hitting the road,” Vega said. “It was my time to reflect. I was at a point in my life (when) I wanted something different. I remember sending him a letter just thanking him for all he's done for me throughout my career.”

The 11-year bond between Potter and the 25-year-old Vega remains strong, which explains why they reunited in the summer of 2015 when Potter asked Vega to join the Sooners staff as a graduate assistant. “It kind of just happened, where the stars lined up,” said Vega, who this season was bumped up to a full-time assistant.

“You connect with players in different ways and Brandi was one (where) there was a mutual respect right from the get-go,” Potter said. “The relationship that grew with respect was out of an authenticity. We never sugar-coated anything to each other. There was always an open dialogue, but it was based out of a care. That evolved over time to be what it is today.”

Given their close player-coach relationship, for Vega and Potter to reunite down the road seemed inevitable. “We kind of really just understood each other, where we came from and what we wanted to achieve,” Vega said. “Ultimately for me, I trusted him. I knew he was never going to let us fail.”

Potter initially scouted Vega when she started dominating the Sierra League at Carson High School in Carson City Nev., where she was chosen as the league's Player of the Year four times and set the Nevada Class 4A state record for assists and goals.

When it came time to choose which college scholarship to accept, Vega told Potter of her decision even before she informed her own family. “I just called him one day and said, 'I'm coming to be a Coug,' ” Vega explained. “He said, 'All right, I'm ready. Let's go.' ”

With the Cougars, Vega finished in the top 10 in multiple statistical categories in her WSU career, including finishing third game-winning goals (eight), tied for third in games played (80), sixth in points (55), sixth in goals (21) and eighth in assists (13). Her multiple honors included the NSCAA All-Pacific Region team (second team in 2011; third team in 2012), All-Pac-12 honors (first team in 2011; second team in 2012), Inland Northwest Soccer News 2012 Women's Second Best XI and 2010 Pac-10 honorable mention.

Vega played professionally for the Vancouver Whitecaps, the Bay Area Breeze (Hayward, Calif.) and finished up with the Premier League's Oviedo Moderno in Spain.

“For me, to come back and coach was kind of like the right step because I am super competitive and I'm so invested in other people,” Vega said. “I want to see other people do well.”

Brandi Vega poses with OU head coach Matt Potter (right) and former OU assistant Graeme Abel, both who were her coaches at Washington State.

That competitiveness clearly is evident with Vega's enthusiasm on the sideline. “She still has a connection to playing,” Potter said. “She's just itching to go in and be part of the game.”

Junior midfielder Lizzie Luallin chuckled and said, “Yeah, she's a little bit passionate. She's kind of crazy.”

Asked to describe Vega as a player, Potter said, “Competitive, lively, big spirit, wanted her team to do well, wanted her teammates to do well, but the underlying thing would be (she was) competitive. She hated to lose. She held people accountable. They didn't like it sometimes. Even the coaches, she would hold us accountable, too. She was driven.”

The guidance Vega received as a player now benefits her as a coach. Vega said she now tries to pass that competitiveness, drive and knowledge on to OU players. She does this by participating live in practice.

“She's very hands-on, involved with practice and games and such,” Luallin said. “Something she always brings is her work (ethic). Her passion projects on everyone.”

Vega's skill is easily visible. “She likes to show off a little bit sometimes in practice, tries to show us up,” Luallin said with a laugh. “One time when we were in the airport, we kind of YouTubed her a little bit, saw some things from her college days. She was pretty good.”

Vega said she now understands Potter's approach as a coach, tactics he used that she didn't fully appreciate or understand as his player. “I couldn't ask for a better boss, or someone to work with day in and day out from a soccer standpoint and a life standpoint,” Vega said.

Potter said Vega is “learning to balance all the gifts that she has with today's athlete. She's very particular about details. She's very passionate about how the game should be played. That reflects her personality and playing style, obviously. More than anything, she cares. As coach, she's always looking for ways to inspire, always looking for ways to challenge, always looking for ways to help student-athletes on our team in particular. That care allows her to connect with players. So she connects very well.”

Perhaps what pleases Potter most is Vega hasn't changed, the primary reason he hired her as an assistant.

“She's still the same personality,” Potter said. “She's got to find her way in her own coaching style based on her personality. As she evolves over time, she'll figure out what's right for her, what she likes, what she doesn't like. That's the biggest thing about her is she's a learner. She wants to learn. She wants to be better. She strives to find new ways of doing things. She's proactive, not reactive. She's going to be a very talented coach in the future because she is always looking to improve.”

Players Mentioned

Lizzie Luallin

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics