“Everything Is Different”: Harper Murray Gets Honest About Dani Busboom Kelly-John Cook Transition Despite Huge Wins

“It’s definitely been a dream job since I got into coaching,” Dani Busboom Kelly admitted in April that coming to Lincoln was always the ultimate goal, especially with her being a Nebraska fan herself. After 25 years at the helm, iconic coach John Cook finally retired earlier this year, handing over the baton to his former student. Naturally, it was a seminal moment in DBK’s life. But for the athletes like Harper Murray, sceptical thoughts (not too much) hovered overhead.

Ever since Harper became a Husker volleyball player, she has formed a strong bond with her former coach. After the team’s defeat to the Longhorns at the 2023 NCAA final, Murray was subjected to a lot of flak thanks to her controversial comment about winning three championships in three consecutive years. She went into depression, but Coach Cook helped her return to light once again. No wonder, the OH considered her former coach as a “father figure“. But while some would speculate that having to part ways with such a character would affect Murray, she seems to be adjusting to the new era quite well.

The Huskers emphatically started off the 2025 season as they decimated Kansas and South Dakota State in the Spring games. Naturally, the junior couldn’t be happier to be part of DBK’s new job. In the post-game interview after trouncing SDSU, in a YouTube upload by Hail Varsity from May 3, Harper Murray could be heard talking about how things are coming along under Dani Busboom Kelly. “With Dani having things be a little bit different. Practice plans were different, the way we run warm-ups and everything is different,” the volleyball star said.

However, with John Cook at the helm for so long, things had become more like a routine. Everyone knew how the coach liked to do things. Naturally, it’s been a bit to get used to the change. “We’re still adjusting, but we’re super excited for the fall,” Murray said about how the squad is getting acquainted with DBK’s methods. But Kelly, known for her efficient training methods, knows the team would manage to pull off something incredible.

“Dan said if this team sticks together, you guys will be unstoppable,” the volleyball star noted, how the new head coach claims only good things await the Huskers volleyball program. The 2023 AVCA Freshman of the Year has already raked up 8 kills in the two Spring Games, and it would seem that it’s only a matter of time before Dani’s prediction comes true.
However, while the squad adjusts to DBK’s way of handling things, one thing is for sure: Nebraska will only benefit from the new coach’s wisdom.

Harper Murray is in safe hands

Dani’s tenure as Louisville’s head coach speaks volumes about her talents as a volleyball coach. A national championship winner as a Huskers player and assistant coach, DBK used her learnings from John Cook to make Louisville a national powerhouse. With four ACC titles, NCAA Championship matches, three NCAA Semifinals, and five regional finals appearances with the Cardinals, Kelly proved that with hard work and smart strategizing, anything was possible in volleyball.
Naturally, with John Cook announcing his desire to call it a day, the folks over at Lincoln immediately zeroed in on one of their own to lead the program in the coming days. “She was the absolute right person to be the head coach of Nebraska,” Troy Dannen said there couldn’t have been anyone else to build on Coach Cook’s legacy. And Dani couldn’t be happier.
For Dani, coming back to Nebraska was like a homecoming. Obviously, even her family was excited to see her go back to the place that has brought her uncharted glory over the years. Well, so far, so good. It looks like DBK is perfectly capable of handling the expectations that come with being the Huskers’ head coach. But can she also lead Harper Murray & Co. to their first national title since 2017? What do you reckon?

The post “Everything Is Different”: Harper Murray Gets Honest About Dani Busboom Kelly-John Cook Transition Despite Huge Wins appeared first on EssentiallySports.

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