- John Cook, Nebraska Head coach, announces his retirement, surprising many volleyball fans.
- Ava Nowling, a player at Premiere Volleyball, shares how Cook inspired her and her teammates.
- Cook's legacy includes motivating young athletes to aspire for college volleyball.
- Fans express mixed emotions, celebrating his achievements while feeling sadness over his departure.
- The volleyball community reflects on the impact Coach Cook had on the sport and its players.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The Nebraska volleyball community is taking in the news of Coach John Cook's retirement, reflecting on his influential legacy and the inspiration he provided to young athletes.
KMTV reporter Hannah McIlree went to Premiere Volleyball in Omaha, to speak with player and coaches about Coach Cook's impact.
Ava Nowling started playing volleyball at Premiere four years ago, she says many of her teammates aspire to play in college and dreamed about playing for Cook.
"We all just like look up to him and like all the little girls like wanna go play for him one day but yeah he's very honored," said Nowling.
17-Gold Head Coach Joe Wessel said the news came as a shock. A group chat he's in with other premier coaches instantly started blowing up, messages were filled with adoration for the Nebraska legend.
"It was a lot of information, but it was also really cool to see that, you know, one legend is kind of done and the future is in the hands of somebody that grew up in the state of Nebraska and also played at the level of the Nebraska Cornhuskers and is going to be taking over for him," said Wessel.
Nowling and Wessel expressed mixed emotions, celebrating his achievements while feeling sadness over his departure.
"He's had a big influence on on kind of being not only a great coach, but I think he's a legacy of just what it means to be a part of Nebraska and that small town value and the coaching values that we all kind of put into everything we do to help the future youth of our programs," said Wessel.
Wessel said Cook is a legend and would love to see a statue of the coach built in the near future to honor his legacy at UNL.
