Dani Busboom Kelly Reveals Mother’s Game-Time Attempt to Influence Coaching Decision

When Dani Busboom Kelly said, “My family and I can’t wait to get to work and bring more championships home,” following her appointment as the Huskers’ new volleyball head coach, many believed she was talking about her on-court kin. Or maybe it was a nod to her actual family members for their support in her career. After all, you can hardly attain success without those close to you standing firm by your side. But who would have thought her comment was fueled by the fact that her family is really a part of her coaching process?

Husker Max‘s Lincoln Arneal took to X on September 2 to share how Busboom Kelly’s mom has played a crucial role in the latter’s coaching strategy over the years. “NU coach Dani Busboom Kelly on how she decides when to call a timeout in matches,” reads the caption of the post, before quoting Dani on the matter. “Usually it’s just a feel. It’s definitely taken me a while to get better at calling timeouts,” Busboom Kelly said, “My mom used to try to call them for me from the stands.” The fourth head coach of the program’s history further stated, “I would see her across the way in Louisville being like, ‘Time out!’ Then it made me not want to call the timeout,” joked the Nebraska alum, underscoring even how she’s not immune to not seeing eye-to-eye with her mom on all things. But maybe all that overruling did help with the on-court results.

Over eight seasons as the head coach of the Louisville volleyball program, Busboom Kelly took the Cardinals to heights never before seen. The 2006 national championship winner had taken over the program that was coming off a 12-18 season and immediately posted a 28-7 in her very first year as the boss. She was also the biggest reason behind the ACC program making it to the NCAA finals twice in the last three years. But was that stellar run also silently a result of Wendy Busboom Kelly’s coaching from the stands? Who knows!

But one thing is true: Dani’s family is loving the new phase of her coaching career. Because hey, how many of us get to come back to our alma mater as the successor of a legend? But Busboom Kelly probably knew somewhere deep in her head that such an opportunity would come her way one day. In her contract with Louisville, there was a clause that she could leave for Lincoln without deliberation should the call come. And when it did, her family could hardly believe it.

“I just cried,” Wendy Busboom Kelly said in February about how the new Nebraska coach’s homecoming was a special moment for everyone in their household. “’ve been in tears, off and on, the whole time. Of course, happy tears, not sad tears,” she said further. So far, it looks like the move has been yielding generous results for the Huskers’ program, and he hope Wendy would be still interested in aiding her daughter in her new role to carry on John Cook’s legacy.

Because, after all, Dani does have big shoes to fill.

Even without her mom’s instructions, Dani Busboom Kelly is showing her coaching worth

Over a quarter of a century, former coach Cook has been pivotal in making Lincoln one of the top volleyball destinations in the country. With four NCAA titles and several future Olympians coming out of Cook’s tenure as the head coach, Nebraska has cemented itself as a program that regularly produces champions. And Busboom Kelly’s first season at the helm so far is looking to be carrying forward the momentum with thunderous success.

The Huskers are currently 4-0 and are looking pretty comfortable under the new management. But it hasn’t been just Busboom Kelly’s coaching acumen that has clicked. Instead, it’s also how she’s straightforward with the squad on setting prominent goals. “…she has been incredibly transparent. One of our first meetings with her was coaches’ changes…Just transparency has been the name of the game and I think that’s what has allowed a lot of us to buy in,” middle blocker Rebekah Allick said on how the coach laid out the expectations to keep everyone on the same page.

Earlier today, Dani further highlighted what she will be striving for with the Huskers. “This team is built to put a banner on the wall, not a name,” the coach said. Winning the national title is at the top of the priority list instead of aiming for individual accolades. But will that objective be materialized? Can the Huskers win their first NCAA silverware since 2017 with the new coach to show the way? Or will Dani have to resort to her mom’s advice willingly? Tell us your thoughts!