According to a Monday morning a press release from Washington Athletics, the University of Minnesota has hired Keegan Cook as its next head coach.
According to the university’s announcement, Cook remarked, “This is the hardest day of my professional career.” My family’s life and mine have both been profoundly altered by the University of Washington. Although I don’t have enough time or space to express my thanks to the community members, thankfulness is the essential feeling I can convey on behalf of myself and my family.
Following the Huskies’ most minor successful season under Cook, the decision was made. Washington tied for fifth place in the Pac-12 standings in 2022 with a conference record of 12-8. [CQ]. In the NCAA tournament’s first round, UW was defeated by TCU 3-1, and the team finished the year ranked No. 25.
It is now official that volleyball is in Minnesota.
The Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament was where the Big Ten powerhouse, who completed the previous season ranked No. 8, ended play.
Cook has left an indelible impression on the UW volleyball programme throughout eight seasons, including eight trips to the NCAA tournament, four Pac-12 title victories, and a Pac-12 Coach of the Year honour.
Jennifer Cohen, the athletic director at Washington, has a lot of huge shoes to fill in his absence.
Cohen said, “We recognise this is one of the truly elite professions in the nation. “We are optimistic that we will find a leader who will uphold our firm dedication to the overall development of the women in our programme and continue our fantastic heritage of rivalry for the conference and national championships here on Montlake,” the statement continued.
Who is Keegan Cook?
He started his coaching career at his alma college, Saint Mary’s, where he served eight years in various assistant coaching capacities (2005–2012). Before taking the helm as head coach from 2015 to 2022, he worked as an assistant coach for the University of Washington in 2013 and 2014.
Cook was appointed the eighth head coach of the University of Minnesota on December 12, 2022. He will take over for former coach Hugh McCutcheon in the 2023 season.
Keegan Cook Personal Life
Pleasanton, California, is the hometown of Cook. With a minor in religious studies, he received a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics from Saint Mary’s in 2007. He has worked on statistical analysis as the FIVB’s Volleyball Information Supervisor (VIS). His appointment as the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s board president in January 2022 will keep him in that position through the end of 2023.
On a foreign tour in 2017, he met Sarah Ammerman, a former professional volleyball player, and they married. Their son will be born in 2021.
Gophers name Keegan Cook next volleyball coach, replacing Hugh McCutcheon
The University of Minnesota already has a replacement in place just days after Hugh McCutcheon’s final season as the volleyball coach at the school came to an end.
Former University of Washington’s head coach Keegan Cook will take over Minnesota’s dominant volleyball programme after agreeing to a five-year contract. Background checks and Board of Regents permission are still pending on that transaction.
Cook, 37, played for Washington for the previous eight seasons, guiding the Huskies to the NCAA tournament each time. The Huskies appeared in the Final Four once and made it to the Elite Eight four times during his rule. He has a 198-56 record at that point in his career. He had previously worked as an assistant coach at his alma institution, St. Mary’s College of California. He has also worked as a coach for USA Volleyball.
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