When John Cook announced her decision to step down from his role as the Huskers’ head coach, the legendary mentor assured that his move away from Lincoln wouldn’t stop him from rallying behind the Nebraska volleyball program. “I’m going to be the biggest cheerleader,” confessed an emotional Cook in January. However, as his former camp waited to begin their 2025 NCAA season, old habits seemed to kick in for the seasoned volleyball strategist.

On Friday, the Huskers hosted the Pittsburgh Panthers for the AVCA First Serve Showcase. Among others, the former Nebraska volleyball coach also showed up to soak in all the electrifying ambiance at the arena named after himself. But Cook wasn’t exactly satisfied to arrive at his old stomping ground as a mere spectator to the action from ringside.

In a post on X by the official NCAA Women’s Volleyball from August 22, John’s feelings were shared ahead of the Nebraska vs Pittsburgh match. On being asked if he was holding up okay, Cook said to the reporter, “I woke up this morning wanting to coach. And of course, now I’m really nervous watching them because it’s a really tight game.” His anxiety about the Huskers’ girls would fare was unfounded, though. At the season-opener, Nebraska volleyball trounced the visitors 3-1. But maybe it was that winning mentality, which John knew the Huskers would bring to the Devaney Center was all the more reason for him to lace up for the girls once again.

“I’m just excited for college volleyball and the opportunity these athletes get to play in front of this crowd like this,” Cook went on to reiterate why he always wanted the Huskers to continue playing at the Devaney Center. He went on to say how the current Nebraska volleyball squad looked bulky. “I think there’s going to be a lot of really good college volleyball teams this year, Huskers being one of them. And I don’t know, the level just continues to go up,” said the former coach, looking at his legacy being carried forward with pride.

After Cook’s announcement of his retirement, the Nebraska Board of Regents decided to honor the exiting coach by naming an arena at the “Bob” after him. The move to do so was “To recognize John in a manner that will be visible for generations to come is a fitting honor,” noted the official statement by the varsity. Today, John finally got to see the arena and could hardly believe himself. But he also did have a lot more to smile about. For instance, how Harper Murray decided to nod her hat at her old mentor at the match.

At the John Cook Arena, the former Nebraska volleyball head coach saw Harper Murray lead the Huskers’ charge with 15 kills and 6 digs to start off the program’s NCAA season with a bang. Andi Jackson also posted 10 kills, while Teraya Sigler, who Cook recruited just before heading out of Lincoln, didn’t fare too badly either.

However, while Cook’s presence at the Huskers’ match was a special sight for Nebraska volleyball fans, it probably wasn’t just a trip down memory lane for the coach. Instead, he could have had some bigger motivation behind showing up.

Cook’s close eye on Nebraska volleyball is his way of analyzing the new enemy?

Well, when you spend a quarter of a century somewhere, you’re bound to fall in love with the place in some way. And it seems like, when it comes to volleyball, Coach Cook doesn’t have any desire to lend his skills to a team that doesn’t belong to the Cornhusker State. With that in mind, John was recently introduced as the new General Manager of the Omaha Supernovas, the women’s pro volleyball franchise that finished its successful 2024-25 season on a high note.

Cook’s onboarding was noted as “the most monumental signing in professional volleyball history,” by the MLV team, and the former Nebraska volleyball coach also asserted his happiness about being able to work so close to the place where he won 4 NCAA trophies. Along with that, he also mentioned that he would love to arrange a match between his new camp and the Huskers.

So, that would invariably beg the question: Did John Cook come to the Bob just to weigh how good the Huskers look this season and to ponder if the Supernovas can actually take them head-on? What do you think was going on inside the seasoned coach’s head as he watched Dani Busboom Kelly start things off in an emphatic way? Tell us!