In the first part of his Q-n-A, Nebraska volleyball coach John Cook explained how he, his staff and players are dealing with the shutdown of team activities because of the coronavirus pandemic, how they are planning for the upcoming season despite the uncertainty and how this affects the status of associate head coach Tyler Hildebrand. In this second half of his Q-n-A, Cook visited with Brian Rosenthal of Huskers.com about how the pandemic could affect scheduling for this season, the excitement of the Final Four returning to Omaha and his thoughts on Jordan Larson and Terry Pettit being chosen for the Nebraska Athletic Hall of Fame, among other topics.
BR: Obviously, it was a necessary decision to cancel the Grand Island spring match, but how bummed are you for the people of Grand Island and do you think there's a possibility of going back there next year?
Coach Cook: "Well obviously we feel terrible about it, especially since it sold out in four hours, and it's a 5,000-seat arena. The good news is they were excited to have us. The bad news is we can't go this year. What we've already talked about is we'd like to go to Grand Island this year, and then possibly do a second match. If we can find somebody to play us, maybe we can go north Nebraska, somewhere around Norfolk, up in that area. But we'll try to do two matches next year to make up for this year. So Grand Island is still in and then we'll do a second match somewhere else. It's tough on knowing the dates, and again, it will depend on spring football. Maybe we do a Sunday or something like that, because probably the other weekend to do it would be spring football weekend, and everybody wants to be here. Potentially we could do a Sunday somewhere, but we'd like to do two matches next year."
BR: Assuming we get back to athletic competitions in the next few months, the Final Four is coming to Omaha in 2020. What's it mean to volleyball in this state that the Final Four keeps coming back to Omaha every few years, and how is the pressure different in preparing for the season knowing the Final Four is in your backyard?
Coach Cook: "There's no better place to have a Final Four than Omaha. It's already sold out. I'm hoping that we have a season, and that would be a great way to finish off this year by having a great, great Final Four, and of course if we can get there it makes it all that much better. We don't feel pressure. We know it's out there. We know we have to go for it. I think our players understand that. It's a great opportunity. Probably what's frustrating for them is it's hard for them to be working on that right now, just with all the limitations and everything. But we know at some point we'll have a chance to work on that, and they'll have to make the most of that. Having the Final Four in Omaha … Omaha knows how to do sports. And I think the fans are going to be pretty pent up after all this. No (College) World Series. No USA Swimming. So there's going to be a lot of pent up fans excited and appreciative of sports."
BR: One of the new things that you've been doing that fans have really enjoyed is a Husker Sports Network podcast with your daughter, Lauren, "Conversation With The Cooks." How much fun has that been, and what's it been like seeing Lauren really grow and embrace her role as a radio color analyst and now hosting a podcast?
Coach Cook: "They're somewhat fun because I try to get Lauren going a little bit. She tries to get me going a little bit. But I can't tell you how many people have told me, since we started doing those, how much they enjoy it and how much they enjoy Lauren and how good Lauren is. It's getting really, really positive feedback. First of all, they're not too long, and second of all we're kind of just talking about life and different things, related into the volleyball world and Nebraska volleyball. I think people really enjoy that, because it is a little bit different. She's gotten really good at doing it, and it's getting great reviews and great numbers. I think they're really happy with it. Again, it's another great way to stay in touch with our fans."
BR: How has Kelly Hunter been doing so far in her role as interim assistant coach?
Coach Cook: "Unfortunately, she really hasn't had a chance to do much. We can't do anything. She's still here in Lincoln, trying not to be bored. Each day we check in. She's helping the freshman get squared away. That's kind of her main focus right now, and talking with our incoming recruits. There's really not much else she can do. I feel bad for her. Here's her first shot at coaching, and we don't do anything. I think she's in a little shock, to be honest with you, like, 'What the heck is going on here?' But she was doing great with beach and awesome in recruiting. She was really liking recruiting when we were out on the road. All of that was going good, but it only lasted a couple of weeks."
BR: Any updates on the 2020 schedule you can discuss, or if a decision on the format of the Big Ten schedule has been made?
Coach Cook: "I don't think we'll have anything until May. That's what the Big Ten is saying. The other thing we've been working on is, talking about scheduling and our budget, we may have to adjust our nonconference schedule, depending on finances. If Bill Moos says we have to cut from our budget, the first place you can cut is traveling. We're scheduled to go to Dallas. We're scheduled to go to Palo Alto. I'm anticipating we may have to make some adjustments. Maybe we have to play some more schools closer to home. Because they're going to have the same issues we are. At some point, something's got to give. I'm kind of mentally preparing a Plan B and Plan C if we have to make adjustments financially. I think everybody's going to have to do that. You may be playing more regionally without taking long trips. Because in the Big Ten, we have to take long trips and you have to charter with our schedule. There's not much flexibility on that, so the only other flexibility would be in the nonconference."
BR: Terry Pettit and Jordan Larson are going into the Nebraska Athletic Hall of Fame this fall, as you know. Quick thoughts on coaching Jordan Larson and your relationship with Terry Pettit and what you learned from your time with those two?
Coach Cook: "First of all, Jordan is one of the best players ever in this country. I just think the fact she came from Hooper, Nebraska, small town, everything she went through with her mom here. Just seeing her grow and develop as a player and as a person and where she started as a freshman to where she is now. She's one of the elite players in the world and has played in all the top club programs in the world and has played all over the world. Just her perseverance and ability to stay with that, because that is not an easy life. She's getting ready for her third Olympics, of course now it gets postponed a year. She doesn't even bat an eye, 'OK, I've got another year to get ready.' I just think Jordan is the ultimate Nebraska volleyball player. Great volleyball player, great person. Represents her country and Nebraska really well. She never forgets where she came from. She's a small-town Nebraska girl and she never forgets that. Every time she comes back, she loves going back to her hometown and being around her friends. It's a great honor. She was getting chills when I was asking (in a Facetime video) what she thought about it. It means a lot to her."
"And for Terry, I just think it's a great way to honor him. He was a pioneer for the women's sport of volleyball. He keeps posting on Facebook stories from when he was first coaching, how they had to be back by dark from a road trip. They would try to find uniforms and find money to stay in hotels and stuff. Some of the crazy things they had to deal with. He was a great pioneer and had a great vision for what women's volleyball could become in Nebraska. Again, somebody like him in the Hall of Fame, it's a great tribute to the sport of volleyball in the state of Nebraska, and Nebraska volleyball impacts this entire state, other colleges, high schools and everything. He deserves a lot of credit for what volleyball has become in this state."
Reach Brian at brosenthal@huskers.com or follow him on Twitter @GBRosenthal.
