Dani Busboom Kelly's first interview as Nebraska volleyball's head coach

Nebraska volleyball head coach Dani Busboom Kelly joined the Huskers Radio Network for her first interview as the Huskers’ coach. Busboom Kelly’s welcome celebration is on Thursday, Feb. 6 at 2:00 p.m. CT at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Busboom Kelly, her husband, Lane Kelly, and their son, Boone, arrived in Lincoln on Tuesday. The Husker alumni’s schedule has been jam-packed since touching down at LNK.

Her last couple have weeks have been a whirlwind and won’t slow down for quite some time.

“They’ve been a little chaotic,” she said to Jessica Coody. “At the same time just really exciting. I’m feeling a lot of pride and so thankful. I think the most special part of it all is listening to John Cook talk about the old days and his belief in me. It has given me a lot of confidence that this is going to be really special.”

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Busboom Kelly is following a legend. She is well aware of the expectations of being a player and a coach at Nebraska. But being the head coach after John Cook’s legendary 25 seasons is a different kind of pressure.

Luckily for Nebraska, Cook will be around and is willing to help with anything Busboom Kelly or the team needs.

“It means everything,” she said. “When you follow a legend that’s pretty intimidating. A lot of people have asked me, “Are you sure you want to do that?” and/or “Is that what’s best for you?” And again, having somebody in your corner, and somebody you trust and somebody that’s going to be there, it makes it feel a lot more comfortable.”

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Lessons about coaching

Busboom Kelly has coached with a range of head coaches. Each head coach and job taught her something different. She implemented those lessons as Louisville’s head coach for eight seasons.

During her first stint at Louisville as an assistant in 2011, she worked with Anne Kordes, who she described as a “really fiery competitor”. Tennessee head coach Rob Patrick, which she worked with from 2009-10, was more authoritarian. She said Cook is a mixture of both.

There are two main aspect Busboom Kelly took from Cook. The first is attention to detail, especially when training day-to-day in the gym.

“I also feel like keeping the team and recruiting in the forefront, and understanding that everything else will work out when it’s supposed to, or change when it’s supposed to,” the four-time ACC champion said. “But making sure those two things come No. 1 and always focusing on that really helped me navigate some times that felt a little bit overwhelming.

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“There’s so many things you take from John and the program that you can’t really verbalize or say. This is my list of what he helped me do. It’s just being around this program and understanding what it takes to win at a high level, and then being able to communicate that is most important.”

Cook’s confidence in her has boosted Busboom Kelly’s confidence in herself even higher. He knows the pressures and the expectations of the job. Cook would not have picked anyone he didn’t wholeheartly believe would continue to take Nebraska volleyball higher.

“One thing that’s made me the coach I am today is coaching with knowing who I am and being confident,” she said. “And for him to walk away when he had everything he needed to win a national championship says a lot about him and that he’s confident in what he’s done and satisfied and not constantly looking for something more. It’s pretty amazing that he was able to walk away proudly and give this up to somebody that he really loves and trust.”

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The next step

Busboom Kelly said her top priority is to create strong relationships with the Husker players and 2026 commits. She had conversations with some during the recruiting process but she needs to know them better.

Thus far, Nebraska’s players have made her feel welcome. Cook said after he told the team about his retirement and Busboom Kelly replacing him, they called a five minute meeting to talk about how to best support their next coach.

“That was amazing,” the 2021 AVCA National Coach of the Year said. “I don’t know these players very well. I recruited some of them, I might have had one or two conversations with some of them, but nothing more than very surface level. For them to lose someone like John and immediately be able to turn their focus into “What’s next?” and “What can we do to support Dani?” It was huge to hear that. And just another sign that this was a great move at the right time.”

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Secondly, Busboom Kelly wants to create great relationships with her staff. Assistant coaches Jaylen Reyes and Kelly Hunter will remain on staff. Busboom Kelly will likely add a third assistant for the 2025 season. She wants to create a strong foundation and open dialogue about their goals.

Busboom Kelly received the best possible response from the current Huskers. She had a special connection with her players at Louisville because she has walked in their shoes.

“I’ve walked in their shoes in the biggest pressure situations, and I failed a lot,” she said. “There were a lot of moments that I didn’t know if I’d come out, but then there were also the highest highs. Being able to look back and have perspective on that and share that with our team, I think it makes a big difference and how we communicate. I think understanding that as big as Nebraska volleyball is, the biggest volleyball brand in the world, it’s still a game. We need to approach it with that, with love and fun and joy and of course, the competitive spirit it takes to win.”

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