Speaker 1 00:00:12 Hello, welcome to the Roundhouse Podcast with Paul Soro of Wichita State University, Strategic communications. We're gonna talk volleyball ahead of their home matches this weekend. Assistant coach Brian Hofeld joined Wichita State's volleyball staff in July. He had spent most of the previous decade in club volleyball, most recently in Idaho. He was Baylor's head coach from 1996 to 2003. Also serves as an assistant at Long Beach State, Texas and Utah. How, how many times did you go to the Dr. Pepper Museum in Waco when you were head coach at
Speaker 2 00:00:45 Baylor? Honestly, I, I don't think I ever
Speaker 1 00:00:48 Went. Don't think I,
Speaker 2 00:00:48 No, They usually delivered PLAs of, uh, Dr.
Speaker 1 00:00:51 Pepper, Just all the Dr. Pepper you could ever want.
Speaker 2 00:00:53 It was pretty much that way.
Speaker 1 00:00:54 That would be a beautiful thing. Yeah, beautiful thing. Shockers are home this weekend. They have matches against Tulane on Friday and number 23, Houston on Sunday. Wichita State is 13, 11, 8, and five in the American and in fourth place. So let's start with that. The shockers, they've won two in a row. They've won three of their past four matches. What's going well for this team right now?
Speaker 2 00:01:17 I think we're passing really well, uh, Casey's setting really well and making some good choices and, and getting their, our hitters open and they're being able to score. So,
Speaker 1 00:01:27 So the defense has stood out in the last three, three outta the last four opponents. You've held them under a one 50 attack percentage. Tell us a little bit about the defense. Who's playing well, who's leading that effort for you?
Speaker 2 00:01:39 Uh, Weber has done some really good things. I mean, she's kind of a glue player where she's, you know, sees the game really well and puts herself in good places. Uh, Kid Galligan has come off the bench as a freshman and, and doing some really good things for us as well. Um, you know, as we're working through some injuries, we're getting, getting healthy again. So we'll have some more options coming into this weekend too, to, to continue to bolster that. But, um, we've been focusing on that aspect of the game and it's nice to see some results.
Speaker 1 00:02:09 Yeah. Tell us about Katie Galligan, because she played, she was kind of in and out, played a little bit earlier in the season, and then has been pressed into more duty as a freshman. How did she get ready? How did she stay ready when called upon? Well,
Speaker 2 00:02:21 I think she came in, uh, with a good mindset and a good level of skill and just bought into what Lambos all about. And, um, you know, managed her time and her adjustments really well and has kind of put things together. So it's, it's really nice to see. We've got some other freshmen that are trying to do that too.
Speaker 1 00:02:41 You mentioned Morgan Weber, who I think I have really tried to pay attention to this year, and she doesn't stand out so much sometimes for powerful hitting or attacking, but boy, if you watch her, her defense or digging or passing, it's really excellent and I've enjoyed locking in on on that. What, what makes her such so good at those aspects of
Speaker 2 00:03:02 The game? Consistency and again, the, the volleyball IQ of knowing what's gonna happen next and where the ball can go and, and kind of shrinking the core from that standpoint. Um, and then just putting the ball on spot. So
Speaker 1 00:03:17 She comes from a, a really good volleyball family. Her older sister Bree was an outstanding player at Northern Iowa. How much of those kind of volleyball IQ things are just kind of born in eight? And how much of them can be taught and learned over a player's career?
Speaker 2 00:03:32 I, I think it's combination of both. I mean, being subject to being in the gym all the time, whether you're playing or not, and just seeing the game over and over and seeing how things happen. Uh, and then there's a, a good level of IQ that can be taught, you know, where kids start to progress from being, you know, taught more technique. Now they're taught the, you know, nuances of the game and what's repetitive and why it happens the way it happens.
Speaker 1 00:03:58 Natalie Foster, uh, Wichita State Middle Blocker is another one who's been playing really well. She was great in the weekend and the winds over ECU and Temple. Uh, tell us a little bit about Natalie. What's working well for her this season?
Speaker 2 00:04:10 I, I mean, she's attacking for us really well, and, uh, like I said, Casey's getting her the ball in the right spots and then Natalie's getting up there and hitting the ball over the top of the block. And when they're putting three people in front of her, she's moving the ball around and making the defense, you know, stressed a little bit more than, uh, trying to challenge 'em with the physical part of it. She's being smart with it. So again, kind of the same thing we're talking about Weber, She's really starting to develop some IQ as far as where she can put the ball and, you know, if the ball gets picked up in one spot, it opens up another spot. So then just having that skill level to be able to move, move the ball around.
Speaker 1 00:04:48 So middles have kind of, I guess a long and, and storied tradition at Wichita State, and it's always been my impression Chris uses them kind of in a way that a lot of people don't. He gets a lot out of 'em, for sure. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, kind of the quick sets, those kind of things. Tell us your observation. Why, why is Wichita State so good with its middle blockers?
Speaker 2 00:05:07 I just find a way to get the ball to her and for Natalie, I mean, we're setting the ball a little bit loopier in the middle of the court, so as the ball comes off the net, you know, it's not a, a small window. She can, Casey can throw it up there for her and let her user athleticism to create some scoring opportunities. And, um, you know, with Mac Man and Morgan Stout, same thing. We're trying to run them a little bit faster, but as the ball comes off, they're getting away from Casey, so it still opens lanes for the ball to get in there and, and try to score.
Speaker 1 00:05:38 You mentioned, uh, translating good practice habits, good practice performances to games that's been happening more often recently. Tell us a little bit about, about more about that. What have you been seeing?
Speaker 2 00:05:49 Well, I, I think there's a trust with each other. You know, we've kind of settled in, we, we had a few weeks, three, four weeks where it seemed like we were, were going through changes and trying to find people that were gonna perform a little bit at a higher standard. Um, and I think we've settled into more of a lineup now. We're not making so many changes, so I think there's some trust being built there and recognizing who's gonna take what ball. And then, so we're just kind of locking in and, and playing more in system than not.
Speaker 1 00:06:17 So Chris Lamb has talked a lot about wanting to finish fourth, and if you look at the rest of the schedule, looks like the shockers are set up, they're in fourth. There are a couple games in the lost column ahead of the fifth place team. Uh, what are the key points? What has to happen the rest of this season for the shockers to, to stay in that spot?
Speaker 2 00:06:33 Gotta put up some numbers. Uh, play some defense, control the ball, uh, both in pass and serve and, um, score. I think that's been a focus to be able to, you know, swing when you can swing and then if they're taking away what you want to hit, then there's another spot that's open. So trying to get the ball on the floor that way. Um, you know, defensively, I think if we can continue to improve, recognizing the repetitive part of the game and uh, taking away what some of the teams have as their favorite shots, you know, controlling that aspect and making 'em try to do something else, uh, it's gonna help put board points on the board and, and keep us moving forward.
Speaker 1 00:07:13 So let's talk about how you got here to Wichita State. Uh, it's always entertaining Chris Lamb's network of coaches. He's got this tight group of people. I joke that he's always on the phone to Rubio at Arizona and if you ever want to track a hiring at Wichita State, it usually goes through Arizona at some point. That's an exaggeration, but a lot of 'em do. Tell us about your relationship with Chris. How far back do you two go?
Speaker 2 00:07:38 Uh, gosh, I don't want to talk about ages, but it probably 25, 30 years. Okay. Uh, we were both coaching club in California. I was in Southern California. He was in the northern part. And I think we, we kind of landed at the same point in San Jose, at San Jose State. There was a club tournament that we both had our teams there and started forging a relationship there and, and uh, you know, always being aware of what NorCal and SoCal were doing and trying to, you know, meet up someplace cuz our teams were good and you always wanna play good competition. So, um, over the years, you know, with college game when I was at Baylor, he was just getting here actually when I was, uh, kind of in the middle of, of doing Baylor. So there are a lot of conversations on how to make the teams better. You know, what are you doing recruiting wise, what are you doing techniques and how are you teaching your team? So always a good conversation. Sometimes, uh, you didn't have enough time to finish.
Speaker 1 00:08:32 We always remark on how friendly volleyball coaches seem to be before matches. There's a lot of hugging and it just seems different than a lot of other sports. Is there more camaraderie and friendliness among volleyball coaches, do you
Speaker 2 00:08:46 Think? No, I mean, I don't, I don't know exactly. I mean it's, I think a lot of us know each other from over the course of years, so there's not, and we still wanna beat each other. I mean, everybody wants to win. Um, but I think there's a little bit more cordial way to go about it, I guess.
Speaker 1 00:09:05 Yeah, it just seems, yeah, definitely being competitive, but there just seems to be a lot more friendliness Yeah. Among volleyball coaches.
Speaker 2 00:09:13 Well, and as, as you get older, you know, it's, it's less about the grind and more about, you know, quality of life and part of that, you know, our community is pretty small and those are our friends for the most part. So, you know, you see each other out on the recruiting trail and then if you happen to play each other, it's just kind of a time to catch up a little bit.
Speaker 1 00:09:32 So you, in Idaho Club volleyball, what made you want to get back into college coaching?
Speaker 2 00:09:38 Uh, it's always been on my radar. I mean, I left when, uh, I got divorced and ended up following the kids. Basically I wanted to be a part of their family, you know, and have a, you know, a definite you impact on their lives and get to enjoy, you know, their youth. And so we all ended up in Arizona, so I was coaching club out there, um, interviewed with Arizona State as an assistant and you know, some of the other things going on around there, but just didn't seem like it was a good fit. So went with club and got to coach some guys at a pretty high level, which was fun. Uh, but always was looking and keeping an eye out. Um, but nothing that would take me away from the kids. So now my older kids are ready to go to college, you know, it's kind of that same thing. You don't see 'em that much anyway when they're knee deep in high school and club. And my son's playing golf, so it's, it's hard to see 'em a lot. So with this opportunity coming up, it just seemed like it was the right time and it also got us a little closer to, uh, to some family for our younger kids.
Speaker 1 00:10:46 What was attractive about Wichita State?
Speaker 2 00:10:48 I just, I, you know, known Chris for such a long time and respected his work here and what he and Shannon has have built over the, over the years. Um, so, and it's always interesting to, you know, through conversations you remember some of the analogies that he uses over time and it to me was really interesting to be able to get in the gym and actually see it in action. There's never a dull moment.
Speaker 1 00:11:14 Yeah. What favorite analogy or what, what, what is any of 'em really stuck with you there? There are so many of them and that's what everybody remarks all
Speaker 2 00:11:21 On. There are so many, I mean, he, he used one about, uh, some lawn mowers that we were talking about our defense, right? And are you gonna choose a, uh, you know, push mower if you've got a couple acres to do, are you gonna push a riding, you know, get into a writing mower? And so we had to play defense with riding mowers.
Speaker 1 00:11:40 How many 49ers, giants, warriors conversations do have you had with him?
Speaker 2 00:11:45 It's, I, I, we actually don't talk about it a lot. I mean that's, you know, part of the analogies though that creep in with baseball and basketball and football. So it's, it's all good cuz I think it, it keeps it fresh, you know, and it's not just all volleyball.
Speaker 1 00:11:59 So you grew up in Long Beach, California, right? Yep. What, was volleyball always your sport? Did you play other sports growing up?
Speaker 2 00:12:05 Learned the game at, uh, in high school, Long Beach Wilson. We didn't have a high school team for the boys, but we put a club team together as like junior and seniors in high school. And then I started playing in Long Beach City, started coaching club at that time, at the same time I started to go to Long Beach State and I wanted to play there, but I was coaching a high school and I was running for practice to practice and I was like, uh, I was i'll coach and it just happened to be at the same time in 91 Long Beach one on the men's side, so I missed out on that. Um, but I've had a really good time, you know, learning about coaching all over the, through the, through all those years.
Speaker 1 00:12:44 So you've been in coaching from the start
Speaker 2 00:12:46 Then since I was 19. What,
Speaker 1 00:12:48 What put you on that career path? What do you love about that job?
Speaker 2 00:12:51 You know, I think I got suckered into it a little bit with the first team I had. I had a group of like seventh and eighth graders and the parents were great, the kids were great, everything was great. You know, they'd run through a wall for you. We won some tournaments. I mean, it was just one of those kind of seasons. And then we actually started a club and built a club out there and had a, a warehouse for a facility and grew to 27 teams I think by the time we were done. And so it kind of flipped the script as you got to that point where a lot of unhappy people based on playing time on, you know, our seventh or eighth team and the h h division. So it got to the point where, uh, Charlie Wade and I, Charlie's the men's head coach at Hawaii, we ran the club together and we were like, we gotta be on the other side of this, you know, we gotta get to where we're paying them to be here instead of us, them paying us. Which, you know, again, it's a growing thing. Um, had a lot of good experiences through at Baylor and then getting an opportunity to work with Jarrett down at Texas, uh, where you're going to the Final four all the time and, you know, playing, getting to be in the gym with the elite 1% kids, uh, was a pretty good experience.
Speaker 1 00:14:02 So when you were hired, Chris used the phrase, I think he said you were a big, big part of the defensive revolution at Long Beach State. Uh, tell me a little bit about that. What what does he mean by that? He's referred to that often, that people were always, were watching Long Beach State at that time and they were borrowing, stealing from, from what you guys were doing there.
Speaker 2 00:14:20 Yeah, Brian Jim was the head coach there forever. And, uh, so I was, you know, a young buck coming in and had a decent arm. So I'd be on a box hitting thousands and thousands of balls and you know, there wasn't a lot of talk from me, but I used the ball to talk. So I'd hit a ball a little bit further away or, you know, tried to get him to make a different move to the ball or recognize something different, um, and then repeat it. And I mean, that was my, my coaching at that point, uh, had more to do with the ball from the passing from the defense and everything. But, um, it was very, it had an Asian influence to it. Um, through the years I also spent some time in Japan and we forged some relationships with coaches over there and it's just a different style. Uh, they're really efficient in how they move and how they play the ball. And then the volleyball IQ is through the roof and uh, they just do a really good job. They, they look at it a little differently than we do here where it's, we're the big, you know, physical kids at the net and they like to run around and, uh, control the ball and open things up along the end. So
Speaker 1 00:15:31 When I talked to Chris about this subject, he said, he said, yeah, maybe in his view some American volleyball has gotten away from the, from the details from the fundamentals, what you were talking about. It's more about the offense and the big swings and those kind of things. And he said he looks forward to you and he really doing some old school volleyball, focusing on those kind of things. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> describe that for, for us.
Speaker 2 00:15:55 Uh, I, I think it would be from a technical standpoint and just becoming more efficient how we move from point A to point B and then, you know, how we're controlling the ball flight, not only the height of it, where it's going, it's the speed of it. And so there's all those components into really controlling the ball and um, you know, or trying to master that aspect of it. So probably in the spring we'll get to break it down quite a bit and cuz we're just, you know, rolling with the team right now, we haven't had a chance to really share a lot of that kind of information. But, uh, I'm sure in the spring, we'll, we'll break it down to the nitty gritty and build it back up together.
Speaker 1 00:16:35 Now does a teaching philosophy like that, does that have particular application at Wichita State where, you know, you, you're not gonna get the six foot six people here, you may have to rely on some of those skills. Is that, am I making any sense there?
Speaker 2 00:16:52 Um, no, I mean, I think regardless if you're what type of athlete you're getting, if you can explain it and then repeat it as an athlete where they really, truly understand and start to apply it in their movements and in their contacts, um, I think you can take anybody and teach 'em how to pass and teach 'em how to play defense and control the ball. So, you know, the bigger the kids, it's just from an attacking standpoint, their windows a little bit bigger and even when they're tired, they're still higher above the net than you're 5 9, 5 10 type of kid. But yeah, we look forward to, I think it's, it's just looking at the game from an efficient standpoint, moving from point A to B and making it look easy. There's a lot of things that we do to that. We make it look hard and it's, it should be. And I, I think we'll get through that and really dial it in.
Speaker 1 00:17:45 So when you're not coaching volleyball, when you're not recruiting, what do you do? Hobbies?
Speaker 2 00:17:51 Uh, I'd like to play golf. There's not a whole lot of time that I said my son who's 16, um, he's wanting to play golf full time and try to make it in college. So we're gonna spend a little time trying to get out, even though it's gonna be cold here in the next few week, they're coming out. Um, cuz they just got dumped on snow and Idaho, so 45, I think it's gonna be warmer for them instead of twenties. Um, and then just hanging with the family, we went to a, a nice k k through six, uh, concert last night. Okay. And watched Harper, a little kindergartner get to sing and do her thing up there, so it's nice.
Speaker 1 00:18:32 Excellent. Yeah, you may get, yeah, that's one Kansas you may get, you can get two or three random nice days in December where you can get out and get out and do a little golfing January. That's good. January, February sometimes. Yeah. Now Chris has suggested, he says you're a handyman and he's a handyman also. He builds a lot of stuff. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, he said you might get together and flip a house. This, this may be news to you with Chris, you never know. Tell us about that part of your life. Is there a project you're working on, a next project you've got your mind on?
Speaker 2 00:18:57 Uh, I mean, there's always a project. Um, and over the course of the years, you know, back when I was in high school, actually, my dad was a contractor, so we built homes and, you know, electrical and plumbing and doing all that kind of stuff. So over the, over the years I've developed that skill and, uh, applied it in our last house in Idaho, actually, my last few houses we remodeled completely and torn down to the studs or, you know, added framing and finish out. So it's been kind of nice with the sweat equity to see the market go up a little bit and, and recoup some investment on it.
Speaker 1 00:19:37 Wow. That is a great skill to be able to do, to be able to do those kind of things. Definitely. Yeah. All right, Brian, thanks for your time. Appreciate it.
Speaker 2 00:19:43 Thank you. Paul.
Speaker 3 00:19:58 Hi, this is Rick Nema, president of Wichita State University. Check out the latest episode of the Forward Together podcast. Each episode I sit down with different guests from Shocker Nation to celebrate the vision and mission of Wichita State University. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 1 00:20:26 Thank you for listening to the Roundhouse podcast, courtesy of Wichita State Strategic Communications. We appreciate your time. We encourage you to rate reviews, subscribe wherever you get your podcast, such as on iTunes or Google Play. You can find more roundhouse
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Speaker 4 00:20:46 Listening. And they let him pass it up court, and then he gets picked off along. Free by Pango. No. Good. One second. It's over. Its over. And Wichita State has beaten the number one team in the nation to the go. Crazy w.
