Considering how the Nebraska Huskers have established themselves as one of the most fearsome volleyball programs in the country, one would speculate transparent communication has played a crucial role in that success. And yet, that was the only thing missing before one of the most important team meetings ever.

When the likes of Rebekah Allick were supposed to meet John Cook for his retirement announcement, they were given to understand that they were meeting for strategic purposes.

A post by the official Big Ten Volleyball account on X from February 6 shared how the Nebraska Huskers’ middle blocker was entirely in the dark about John’s retirement plans. “…told it has to do with revenue share,” Allick was heard saying in a recent Nebraska Hukers presser. “We all thought we were gonna get a bump,” the post’s accompanying video shared the Husker senior’s words, as her colleagues including Harper Murray burst into laughter.

She went on to highlight that the players thought it was going to be a business type of meeting, like a “breakdown of the schedule,” before being shocked by the “atom bomb” announcement of Cook’s retirement. Rebekah joked that the stunning information came while she was thinking that things were going well in the “jubilee year“.

The scenario that unfolded in the Nebraska Huskers’ locker room was also shared by Huskers Illustrated’s Lincoln Arneal via an X post. “Rebekah Allick said that she was told the team meeting last Thursday was about revenue sharing. The meeting took a quick turn when Cook told them he was retiring. Director of Operations Lindsay Peterson later apologized for misleading them,” read the social media post from February 6. However, while many athletes were kept in the dark about what waited, one of their peers might have had some insider info about what was about to go down.

Nebraska Huskers OH was the first in line to be notified by John Cook

Outside hitter Harper Murray, over the years, had formed an incredibly close relationship with John Cook. The Nebraska junior also noted that the former coach was sort of a “father figure” in her life who never failed to guide her through troubles. Naturally, John wanted to break the news to Murray before sharing it with the team. And as expected, the Huskers OH couldn’t stop about how amazing it was to be under Cook’s mentorship. “When you play for a coach like John, you come to realize that you are playing and working for something way bigger than yourself. John would run through a wall for me, and I would do the same for him. I will never be able to put into words how appreciative I am of him,” she wrote in a social media update last month, as she hailed the veteran coach for all his contributions to her life.

But the thrill won’t be in short supply at the Huskers camp. With Cook being relieved of his volleyball duties, former Nebraska athlete Dani Busboom Kelly will take over the reins for the next chapter of the squad. Kelly’s success as the Louisville head coach has sealed her reputation as a prolific strategist, and even Cook seems to be feeling satisfied by her onboarding. But even he was unnerved when he heard the players were convening among themselves right after his announcement.

“I didn’t know what they were meeting about. I was like, ‘Are they gonna start talking about going to the portal, or what?’,” Cook said in his recent presser. But thankfully for him, the players decided to commit themselves to the new coach, showing their respect for Cook’s decision. Will DBK be able to continue Cook’s legacy? What do you think? Let us know in the comments.