Dan Meske Speaks to the Media On Being Named Head Volleyball Coach

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Dan Meske, University of Louisville's newly appointed head volleyball coach, met with the media for the first time after being hired officially last Friday.

TRANSCRIPTION
Director of Athletics Josh Heird
"First of all, thanks to everybody who made it out today. Really appreciate everyone coming. Before I start talking about the future of Louisville volleyball, I do want to take a step back for a couple of thank yous. I want to take one more opportunity to say 'thank you' for everything that Dani and Lane and Boone and their entire family gave to this university and this athletic department. When you think about where Louisville volleyball was, it was in a good place. She left it in an absolutely fantastic place. We can't thank her enough for everything that she's done. I think everyone in this room was a little disappointed when we got the news last week, but for me at least it was a moment of sadness and then just a real moment of excitement for her and her family. When you think about how this was her opportunity to go home to her alma mater and where she grew up. Again, thank you to Dani for everything she gave to this program to make it one of the absolute best in the country. I need to thank President Schatzel, Amy Calabrese, Nick Bowes, and a lot of staff members here. You don't get through a transition as seamlessly as we did without a lot of people working behind the scenes. Really appreciate everything that took place. The motivation for us to do what we did last week relative to the transition and how it was announced, was to make sure our student-athletes didn't have to hear about this on social media or read about this on social media."

"I wasn't even in Louisville, but I had Amy (Calabrese) put me on speaker phone while she and Dani, and Dan broke the news to the team that Dani was leaving for Nebraska, and that Dan was taking over. I just felt really good about that transition. With all that said, let's talk about our new volleyball coach. It's your job as an athletic director, as a sport administrator, to be prepared if and when you get a phone call like I did last week. Amy was actually the first to know that news. Dani texted me early on Tuesday morning and said 'Hey, do you have time to chat?' I said that I was about to take off and go to Tampa for some women's basketball meetings. By the time I landed, Amy had texted and said that Dani was going to Nebraska. That was the first opportunity that we had to talk about the transition. For me, it wasn't a moment where I thought to call Dan and tell him he was the head coach. I do know that we were very prepared to go down that road just because like I said that is our job, that is Amy's job, that is my job to say if and when something like this happens what are we going to do."

"I say all of that because this was not a knee jerk reaction. This was not 'what's the convenient hire here'. This was about hiring the best volleyball coach for Louisville volleyball and I mean it when I say it I think we hired the best volleyball coach in the country here at the University of Louisville. A little context here, it was interesting I called Dan and said 'hey, I'm 99.9% sure I want to hire you, but I need to think about it a little bit' because there was a lot going on. I landed in Tampa, Amy is texting me, I'm trying to have a conversation with Dani and I am like 'whoa boy I have a lot going on' not to mention that I have NCAA meetings and so I did what I do when I have to think about things -- I went for a run. On my run, about 25 minutes in, I texted Dan and said 'hey do you have time to chat'. I just needed him to answer a couple of questions and the main question I had to get answered was how do we continue the momentum of this program? This is one of the elite programs in the country and Dan has been here every step of the way. Like I have said it has transformed from a really good program to an elite program and that is really the question I was trying to get answered. Yes, stability is critical but like I talked about that is not why we made this hire."

"For me it came down to really one very important thing and I have said it a lot, that I truly believe that the culture that was created within this volleyball program is one of the best that I have seen in sports, it is one of the best that I have seen in college athletics and so how do we maintain that and ultimately how do we get across the finish line and win the national championship. I felt after our ten-minute conversation I was already there and so was Amy. Dan immediately answered the questions around "can you think like a head coach, do you know what your staff is going to look like, do you know why you are hiring the staff you are hiring are you going to do this, or do that. He had a plan and like I said it was a really easy decision to make."

"From a macro level a couple of things to talk about and think about here. Does Dan fit into the culture that we are trying to create within this department as a whole? Does he fit into that room of head coaches that we have that I think rivals anybody in the country? When I talk about the head coaches that we have, I absolutely love that group and is he going to fit in with them, exchange ideas with them, make sure that he cares more about student-athletes as individuals as opposed to just athletes and he absolutely does that. When I think about how he cares for the student-athletes and wants the best for them that was really important to me. Lastly, is he passionate about the University of Louisville and I have talked to a lot of athletic directors and SWA's over the last handful of years and it has been the same response of 'Dan is your best option but I do not think you can hire him' and that is because he stayed loyal to this place. With that said, it is time for me to finally say please welcome the new head volleyball coach here at the University of Louisville, welcome his wife Laurel and their three sons, Dan Meske."

Head Coach Dan Meske (Opening Statement)
"First, of all I'm incredibly proud and humbled to be the head coach of Louisville Volleyball. I've been here a long time and this place means the world to me. But what Josh talked about, it's like when this community got its hooks into us, there was just no way that we were leaving, we were just in. So, again thank you so much. Like Josh talked about, one of the first people I thought of too was Dani (Busboom Kelly). We got here eight years ago, and a lot of these banners weren't up, but a lot were, so we had a lot to build off of. But the time that I worked with Dani, were some of the best coaching moments of my life and I'm forever grateful to her for what she set us up for in the future. Josh, Amy (Calabrese), President Schatzel, I appreciate you guys. I've been on the road recruiting since this has happened. It's only been a few days, but CC (McGraw) and I in particular have spent quite a few hours on the road. So many coaches have come up to me and talked about just how impressive the transition was. It's kind of a first for volleyball, the way it was handled, it was top-notch, it was so impressive. I'm excited to continue our relationship and then also learn from your leadership because what a first step that we have taken, so happy for that."

"Before I get too far though…Laurel, who's sitting up here. It's going to be hard to look at you without breaking down here, but you've meant the world to me. You're the reason why we're here. I could go into the whole story of when we got offered this job as an assistant coach eight years ago and my initial response was no. I didn't want to move, I liked where we were at, and it was Laurel who saw what this community could do for our family and wanted to raise our family here. We had one son at the time, the one sitting next to Laurel was in her belly eight months pregnant and she was that sure about what Louisville could do for our family to come here and raise a family. She makes me such a better person, such a better coach. Marrying you was the best thing I ever did in my life. So, for my three boys who are up here decked out in their Adidas gear, you guys are awesome. If marrying your mom is the best thing I ever did, then the most fun thing I get to do is watch you all grow up. Maddox, Ryne, Hendricks, like I said, we only had one when we got here and now we've two native Louisvillians who were born here. You guys are awesome and I'm so glad we get to watch you guys grow up around this program. Thank you guys."

"To the staff, and I'm actually going through the front row, Todd Chamberlain, who's sitting up front. He's the best recruiting coordinator in the country. Those of you that know our program, this is a pretty tight-knit group here, I've seen all of you guys at our games and stuff, you guys know he's the personality of our program. Those of you that are tight know what I mean by that. When I think of Todd… taking this job when Todd was on board it was like the first exhale of like, 'Okay we got this'. I'm so impressed with Todd as a coach. He got here seven years ago, one year after Dani and I got here, and he did not have any recruiting experience per se. He wasn't known as a recruiter, he took on that job, and he went from new recruiter to, again in my opinion, the best recruiter in the country. It's just such an example of what this program is about, where everybody from the coaches to the players is driving to get better and it sets such a great tone. So, Todd, shortly after him, his wife Lauren and two kids came, James and Lewis, again there is such a family environment around Louisville Volleyball. We've got pretty much just boys that are growing up, but it's cool to see the families grow, and I'm so thankful that you're on board Todd."

"CC McGraw and I just spent pretty much 48 hours on the road, five cities in one day at one point, that was pretty cool. She's one of the best young coaches in the country, those of you that saw some matches last year, saw that she's getting more and more involved in our defense. Todd and I joke but we're pretty serious of making sure that we're super nice to CC because we know we're probably going to work for her someday. They took a chance on us too, Zach [CC's] fiancé came down from Minneapolis chasing the warm weather in Louisville, which I promise we have, and we're just so thankful for you guys."

"Then too when I think if Todd's the personality of the staff, the heartbeat of the program, she's short and I can't find her, there she is, Sarah Petkovic, who everybody knows. When I came here seven years ago to interview for the assistant job, she picked me up at the airport in this big, long sweater, it probably wasn't that long, it was long on you. But her warmth came through so fast, and it was like she is the best billboard for Louisville Volleyball that I can ever think of. You meet Sarah and you know what we're about. So again, so thankful for [Sarah], her husband Sash. At Louisville we want to do everything the best in the world. So, if you watch a match and somebody hits the ground and somebody's got to wipe up the sweat, we have the best floor wipers in the entire world, and that's typically Sarah's kiddos, Hyla, Beckett and Alexana. They've developed a cult following of how great they are at wiping up the floors, and they motivate me."

"To our alumni, like I talked about, every day I come in here and look at these banners and I'm proud of them, they drive me, but there were a heck of a lot of banners up here seven years ago when I showed up. And to be able to have that success, that foundation to recruit to was invaluable. So, thank you to the alumni that came before that [and] that's come since, you guys are awesome, you're a part of this and we love having you guys around the program."

"To our players, we've had three great practices. It feels like it's been a whirlwind, it's been wild. You guys motivate me too, you guys are just such a great example. I love, again, the families that we have around this program and the role models that these kids get to see. You guys are awesome and we're here for you, all we think about is you. It was so cool how you guys just embraced everything that was going on, and I am forever indebted to how that went, you guys are awesome. So, to our players that are here, thank you guys. I see Hannah Sherman always [fanning herself], and that's what I need to do right now. So, as far as my vision goes, this is a unique introductory press conference, because I could spend the rest of this going through almost person-by-person and naming everyone who's here and what you've done for the program because you all matter. We're all here because of everybody so, everybody who's here, thank you. My vision moving forward is, we've done some really good things here at Louisville, there's a joy and a love around our program and for each other, and that's not changing. That's one of the most important things to me is that that remains with the program. My north star, the thing that I chase is, whoever comes into this program, a manager, a player, a coach, when they get to this program, when they finish, they have more love for the game of volleyball than when they started. I've seen that happen time and time again, and when you're focused on that, everything else seems to come into place. I take so much pride in our players leaving and loving the game as much as they've ever loved it in their life. That's the number one thing that motivates me to be a great coach for our student athletes."

(On Josh Heird's 99.9 percent philosophy when hiring Meske)
"That's the only part of that conversation I remember was 99.9. Then trying to explain that to my wife that I'm 99.9 percent getting this job so get 99.9 percent happy about it. But like I said, I don't remember much of the rest of the conversation. I told the team and when we broke the news, that was a pretty intimate conversation, and without sharing too much of that. I remember telling the team that one of the things that kept me here for so long was that I thought there was a small possibility that this could happen. Dani [Busboom Kelly], I've said it at recruiting, she is the best head coach in the country. She's got more competition now, but I've always said she is the best head coach in the country. It's a no-brainer that a great job in the country opens up and everyone would go after her. I thought that if that were to ever happen, as small as I thought that chance was, I wanted to be here if there was an opportunity for me to serve. So, when he said 99.9 percent, I was already thinking if this is me, what am I going to be doing? I already started making calls, acting as if it was already going to happen. So, I'm glad that that 0.1 percent didn't come through and I'm eternally grateful for that. Again, it was a moment I'll never forget for sure.

(On [recently retired] Nebraska's John Cook five-year extension in May)
"I didn't know that. I don't really follow other coaches' contracts or anything like that, especially as an assistant coach. My time here as an assistant was so engulfed in what we do with the student athletes. I was probably watching film of one of our ACC opponents, it was just tunnel vision of how to make our team better. So again, honest to God,I didn't know he was on a five-year contract or four years maybe remining when that happened. You know I had been there; my first job was an assistant coach at Nebraska, and I would say that I was very surprised that he retired. I did see his press conference when he talked about burning out as opposed to fading away. I really thought he did that and would keep going and going. Again, that was my first job and he set a great example of how hard he worked and how much he gave, that is something I took away from that."

(On the amount of joy that goes into watching this community transform into a volleyball powerhouse)
"It was awesome. I clearly knew about the great club scene before I got here. We had been recruiting this area for a really long time, so I knew volleyball was really strong in Louisville and when we got here, there were some changes where we went from more KFC Yum! Center matches to L&N matches that was one of the biggest things. We only sold out one match in L&N Arena our first year, but we celebrated that like a national championship. We sold that match out. The next year it was about four (sellouts), then the next year after that we were talking about going to the Yum! and how many people could we get. The community, we knew was ready to kind of pop for volleyball and it was already so strong, so I think the stars really aligned with that. But again, we took it in steps where it was a huge deal to sell out this arena (L&N )in 2017 and I'm so proud that we did that. The next year we were building off of that. And the winning percentage in this building (L&N Arena) since we've been here in the last seven years– and Nancy (Worley) can probably correct me on it, is pretty astronomical. This place is really special. It's great to get to the Yum! Center because we want to give everyone an opportunity to experience Louisville volleyball, I don't ever think we're leaving this place in the immediate future. There's something special about being in L&N Arena."

(On how his role has evolved and how it has prepared him for this moment)
"That's a great question and one I haven't thought about to this point. With the title associate head coach, I didn't know when I took this job I had to go to head coaches' meetings, so Dani (Busboom Kelly) would be like 'we're going' but I was an assistant coach. I did get to experience some head coaches' meetings which was cool. That was one thing I don't think Dani and I talked a lot about, but she was so transparent about what was going on as a head coach that I felt really comfortable when this happened of the roles that were going to shift and what I was going to have to take on. Again, I mentioned her in the beginning, but the way that Dani put the staff together and how much she empowered me, was a big reason that I felt very confident when this happened that we could get through this transition the way that we did."

(On what he can do with this program and his vision for the future)
"Well, we've got Kentucky at home this year, we always alternate that. So, I think the Yum! Center is prime, we're going to play them [in Lexington] I believe, I don't want to get ahead of my skis here. But the attendance records for matches like that are always something that you're chasing. And it's a really fun thing throughout volleyball right now of everybody breaking attendance records. That's happening throughout the country, so that's a cool match that we know will be at the Yum! Center that we can really build for how many have we had for a regular season game in the Yum! Center. As far as the vision moving forward, we have such a core group that returns from the national championship match, they were one match away from winning it all. Then we've added some phenomenal pieces, so this team is kind of used to it, their day-to-day experience hasn't changed all that much. There's one relationship that changed quite a bit, but aside from that these players have experienced it, they know what it takes, so we're going to keep moving on that path."

(On what has been the reaction from the recruiting world to the coaching change)
"For everybody that I touched base with, thank you for everybody that reached out. The reaction was again, I think the biggest thing, because it was so unique, was the transition. To take two Final Four teams and both have head coaches changeover and for it to go as seamless as it did and for our program to not skip a beat, people are in awe of that. It's kind of like the volleyball moment of, 'Where were you when that happened.' So, it was really cool to see everybody come up, and just again credit to Josh [Heird] and Amy [Calabrese] of just how great that transition went because when you put the student-athletes first, and our experience with our players, that's what makes moments like that happen. It's been more about how impressive the transition has been than anything other than that."

(At least one All-American transferring and how he plans to keep his team intact)
"Heck yeah. My north star is that you love the game more when you leave than when you get here. Again, as long as we're all staying true to that, those things tend to take care of themselves. When you're worried about those types of things, it clouds your judgment and how you interact with people and how things go down. Like John (Cook's) contract, I don't spend much time thinking so much about that. I spend time thinking about how much we're growing our love for the game. Spending time making sure what's on that white board is going to be a fun experience for everyone involved and move the needle towards us being a great program."

(On how active of a coach he was in-game and if that will change as a head coach)
"I've thought a lot about that. I'm certainly going to shift from more defense to offense. I think this is what attracts so many people to this sport, volleyball is such a unique game in the fact that the best passing team is usually the best serving team, because have skills tha are reciprocal. The best blocking team is a lot of times the best attacking team because you see it every day in your gym. So for me, who is used to doing defense for eight years, I've been watching other teams' offenses and I have found things that are an absolute nightmare to prep for. So, I'm really comfortable shifting to that side of the ball. When you look at in-match, you're in control of your offense and you set it up. You're ready for it. You prepare for what the serve is going to do, but your offense is in complete control when you walk out there. The defense that you run really isn't. Now you can get into some base positions, but the offense is going to do what the offense is going to do against you. So you have to prepare for what they might do, but you're constantly adjusting to the other team because you can't control what they're going to do. So when you ask me about in match responsibilities that's why I would maybe be a little more active, because there is more to change and adjust to. From the offensive side, if we're doing our job Monday through Friday what we're doing Saturday night then we should be in pretty good control. I do not like sitting during games, so I don't know if I will be sitting down, but I do think that those roles are going to shift slightly and that's exciting. To me, what's so fun about coaching is that there's always a new challenge."

(On what his next steps as a coach are and if they're going to schedule a Nebraska match)
"I haven't thought about that one. I think that would be a cool opportunity if we do it right. But as far as staffing, we've had some initial conversations with coaches and we've got a good foundation set of getting someone in very soon. As far as our roster goes, the guiding north star for us in giving a great experience has remained the same. It's funny, we had a team meeting when we announced this and we wanted to touch base with each individually and we had multiple small groups come in. They came in as a group, as a team, with their teammates. I thought that was really telling of the culture of our team. It didn't have to be 16 people individually. There were three or four that touched base, said we're good. From that standpoint, the day-to-day experience for Louisville Volleyball has not changed a whole lot to this point."

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