“They call it the 'wonder years' as you get older,†says the 65-year-old Cook, who guided Nebraska to an NCAA Tournament runner-up finish in December.
“You have wisdom. You have experience. I feel like this past year might have been one of the best coaching jobs I’ve had. Plus, I enjoyed it tremendously, even when we were losing.
“When you’re around a group of people who you really like being around and really like coaching …â€
Yeah, it makes it more fun. It almost sounds as if Cook’s encountered a late-career coaching utopia of sorts.
Ah, but there’s always something to test you, right?
“Now, the challenge is going to be this NIL stuff,†says Cook, alluding to the name, image and likeness world that fully descended upon the college landscape seven months ago.
He also mentioned the transfer portal’s massive impact.Â
“It’s a whole new challenge in coaching,†he says. “This year in volleyball — I don’t know how closely you follow it — but I’ve never seen so many head coaching openings. I’m talking about big programs.â€
He mentions Penn State and Michigan State of the Big Ten, for instance.
“There are a lot of coaches who are having trouble handling all this, or don’t want to deal with it,†Cook says. “It is an adventure, now. The stuff going on, it blows my mind.â€
Let’s be clear: He’s not shying away from the new world. In fact, he’s a willing participant. NIL, the portal, the gamut.Â
He’s in the midst of fortifying his roster as Nebraska gears for a run at his fifth national championship at the school, and the program's sixth.
You usually don’t just snap your fingers and replace a Lauren Stivrins. You explore all avenues, perhaps even the portal.
Keep in mind, the 2022 NCAA Final Four is in Omaha.
The great coaches aggressively seek out advantages. Mind you, Nebraska’s NIL operation is well-structured and well-heeled — and it’s not a football-only operation. Not by a long shot.
Husker volleyball players already benefit, and look for the advantages to escalate. After all, this state embraces the sport more than most.Â
Bottom line, great coaches can adjust to change, if they’re willing to adjust.
Cook has said he wants to work past the end of his current contract, which runs through 2024. Who knows what the NIL world will look like at that point?
He regards the current NIL world with a sense of wonder.Â
“You know, these guys are doing deals,†he says. “Some players want to do deals, other players have no interest. But what really makes it interesting, or challenging, is we’re all about ‘we’ over ‘me.’ We’re all about building this great team. And all of a sudden now, it’s all about ‘me.’ It’s, ‘What deal can I do? How can I develop my brand? How can I make money?’
“Still, forming a great team, where we can have ‘we’ over ‘me,’ is going to be the ultimate challenge for coaches, because you’re going to have a pecking order on teams. You’re already seeing it football. We have it in volleyball.â€
You perhaps saw photos circulating on social media of quarterback Casey Thompson, the Nebraska transfer from Texas, standing with several of the Huskers’ offensive linemen. Thompson took the linemen to eat at a Lincoln restaurant, on his dime. Thank you, NIL.
What was Nebraska sophomore quarterback Logan Smothers thinking as he pondered the photos?
Thompson, although he just recently arrived on campus, has a higher profile than Smothers or anyone else on the team, including in the NIL world.
No question, coaches face challenges in the locker room that they’ve never encountered.
Cook does see positives in this brave, new world. To wit: It can be helpful to know how to market yourself. NIL is instructive in that regard.
Plus, “Nowadays, they’re going to have to learn how to pay taxes,†he says of his players. “You don’t have to pay on a scholarship, but you have to pay if you make money.â€
That was an eye-opener for some of Cook’s players.
“But our business school (at UNL) has done a great job of developing classes to help them set up an LLC, how to brand yourself, how you pay taxes,†he says. “So there’s some really good experience and lifelong lessons going on.â€
However, Cook says, he proceeds with a level of cynicism.Â
“I was watching the national championship football game,†he says of Georgia’s victory over Alabama earlier this month. “Georgia was taking control at the end. All of a sudden you could see the Alabama quarterback just getting … I mean, he can’t even breathe back there in the pocket. He’s getting hit every time. You just wonder if his linemen are thinking, ‘OK, well, that guy (Bryce Young) is making, what, a million dollars? I’m over this one. Let him take care of it.’
“That thought danced through my mind,†Cook admits. “I just think it’s going to be a real challenge. We’re going to have to work really hard in building a great team.â€
A little old-school cynicism can be healthy, no matter the era.