Few people in the current US college volleyball scene can analyze the game as well as John Cook. With over two decades of experience coaching teams, he has witnessed the highs and lows firsthand. Moreover, in his initial time at Nebraska volleyball women’s team, he had to fill in the shoes of Terry Petit, the legendary coach. At 44, he had to replace someone who won 694 matches as the Huskers’ coach and took the squad to 18 consecutive NCAA tournaments. So for Cook, it has always been a one-way journey. He had no option but to show his back to the adversities. But he decided to jump into the situation head-on. 

Now, after coaching the Big Red for 24 long years, the 68-year-old coach finds himself capable of comparing the situations. He is among the handful of ones who have seen the buildup. However, recently, John Cook had a chance to reflect on the transformations he had seen. Altogether, his words proved to be a treat for the volleyball fans. 

John Cook shows a mirror to the age-old adverse playing conditions 

On December 1, John Cook sat in a press conference to discuss his take on the upcoming NCAA volleyball championships. He also discussed the condition of the Huskers team, and during the interaction, the Maryland game naturally came up. The soft-spoken coach, however, remained humble and commended the massive attendance at the match. On November 30, Nebraska faced Maryland in their final regular season game. While the Huskers secured a 3-1 victory and claimed the Big Ten volleyball title, the match presented an unusual challenge. Nebraska had to concede the first set (25-27) and took some time to find their rhythm. Why? According to Cook’s remarks on Sunday, the venue—Xfinity Center in College Park—was a factor. It is not a standard volleyball court but rather a basketball arena adapted for the game.

This part of the arrangement left the coach amused. In the press conference, he revealed his experience of playing squads in the basketball arena. “In the old days, you know, they didn’t have portable baskets. So we played game matches in gyms where there were baskets there.” But the impression had never been a smooth sail. “It’s just, it was really weird. This huge gym you got these lines and got three-point lines and everything going on and uh, so it took us a while to get comfortable,” he explained a bit. Along with that, the California native also added the issues of moving the baskets in the old days for the sake of preparing the arena. In contrast, the Xfinity Center was full of modern amenities for him. In the conversation, John Cook gave his flowers to the iconic venue. 

The coach shouts out to the state-of-the-art arrangement 

In the press conference, John Cook shared his experience of coaching volleyball teams on the basketball courts. The experience of his early days still makes him thoughtful. But for the Xfinity Center, the coach opened his arms. He eventually said, “It’s unreal how they designed it. There are great seats in there. But, you know, they got the boards, the sound system, all that stuff going.” The coach seemed to have a memorable time in the arena. And in the crowd in Xfinity Center last Saturday, he was not the only one to taste the touch of the modern marvel. 

Rather, Huskers Illustrated’s Lincoln Arneal’s post confirmed 13,071 fans’ attendance in the Saturday night game. The number broke the previous record (4,522) attained by the arena. Cook had his comments ready on this record as well. While replying to a journalist, he said, “It was loud for both teams. Yeah, it seemed like it was about 50-50 to me.” But the Nebraska Huskers held their nerves tight. They didn’t let their grips loose despite losing their opening set. Also, they had the painful memory of losing their previous game to Penn State. Yet they stood back and fought. In the end, the Big Red handed the Terps a thrashing defeat, claiming three sets (25-14, 25-8, 25-12). Was that enough to let John Cook forget the 90s memory? What do you think?