The time commitment and unique schedule of coaching had CraigSkinner wondering if that was the right profession for him.
He went from kills and digs to debits and credits after hisfirst coaching job. Skinner, a former Ball State men's volleyballplayer, graduated with a degree in accounting and decided he wouldtry out the banking world.
"I just wanted to find out if I was going in the rightdirection," Skinner said.
After a short period in the industry, he quickly learned he hadbeen going in the right direction and got back into coaching as anassistant under Joel Walton for the men's team at Ball State.
"It was something I felt I had to get back to because it made bejump out of bed every day," Skinner said.
His friend and current coach of Muncie Central, Wes Lyon, saidhe thought Skinner just needed to convince himself coaching wasright for him.
"I think he realized that he just didn't impact people enough in[banking]," Lyon said. "He realized he had a real talent forcoaching."
Today he coaches in front of sell-out crowds at the Universityof Nebraska where he is head assistant coach. Over 4,000 fans showup in red at the Nebraska Coliseum to see his team play. He is inhis fifth season with the Huskers and helped lead them to an NCAAChampionship in 2000.
DEVELOPING A LOVE FOR THE GAME
When Skinner was in elementary school he was talked into joininga club volleyball team by John Shondell. Skinner was smaller backthen and needed some convincing to get him on the team. The factthat a lot of girls were also on teams might have helped trickerhis interest, John Shondell said.
Skinner easily picked the game up despite his size and the teamhad a lot of fun together.
"Immediately I loved playing the game," Skinner said. "Eversince then there hasn't been a game or sport that I've enjoyedmore."
Skinner would later have a growth spurt, but was always shortfor an outside attacker.
"I don't think he really really started to love it until he gotinto junior and senior in high school," John Shondell said.
THE COLLEGE DAYS
Kevin Laseau, a teammate of Skinner's at Ball State, always usedto say that the song "Ordinary Average Guy," was Skinner's themesong.
"I always used to joke that Skinner was the prototypical humanbeing," Laseau said. "He was just the average in everything."
He might have been average, but he was someone Laseau alwayswanted to spend time with, especially when the weekend camearound.
"Skinner was just a guy you wanted to hang out with," Laseausaid. "I spent probably an entire semester on his couch onSaturdays."
Skinner remembers the experiences he had with teammates morethen the actual games themselves.
"Reflecting on playing in college, I don't necessarily rememberthe wins and the losses as I remember my teammates," Skinnersaid.
Don Shondell, the head men's volleyball coach back then, saidSkinner's hard work helped him become one of the best players onthe team.
Skinner's love for the game, and coaching, continued to increaseas he progressed through college, partly because of the way DonShondell coached.
"When you play for Don Shondell, you understand how much hereally enjoyed his job," Skinner said.
Don Shondell said while Skinner may have debated whether or notto stay in coaching, he must have been convinced coaching was forhim.
"He had to have a real love for coaching," DonShondell said. "He probably could have gone 10 different directionsand been successful."
THE COACHING JOURNEY
Skinner's coaching journey began when he was playing at BallState. During that time he coached a Munciana club team and in 1992led the 18-and-under team to a U.S. Volleyball Association nationalrunner-up finish.
After college he met John Cook, the current Nebraska head coach,and they coached together at Wisconsin from 1994-1996. Cook was thehead coach, while Skinner was an assistant.
"It was a total rebuilding job," Cook said about the Wisconsinprogram. "We really had to learn how to coach in a whole differentway because we had to build from the ground floor."
After those two years that was when Skinner decided to try thebanking world.
After deciding coaching was for him, he joined Walton's staff atBall State. However Walton wasn't able to keep Skinner on his stafflong.
Cook had moved on to being an assistant at at Nebraska, andafter one season he was promoted to head coach and contactedSkinner to come be an assistant under him at that time.
Skinner has focused on coaching mainly middle blockers duringhis time at Nebraska, and he has helped three of them earn fiveAll-American awards, more then any other program during that timespan. The Huskers have also led the nation in blocks per game threeof the last four seasons.
"A lot of credit goes to him in training those kids and how goodour blocking defense is," Cook said.
Whether it be at Nebraska or anywhere, Skinner said he tries toinvest time in his players lives not just on the court, but inother areas to help earn their respect.
"It comes full circle if you've earned respect and had an impacton someone's live that you've coached, inevitably a lot of timesyou see something in return," Skinner said.
That's one reason Skinner is in charge of recruiting atNebraska. He has developed numerous relationships during hiscoaching career that helps bring the best players in the country toNebraska.
ONE STEP LEFT
While Skinner has won the ultimate crown of NCAA Champion withNebraska in 2000, one step remains in his career: become a headcoach.
Skinner said he always told himself he wouldn't become a headcoach without someone to share it with, a step he has alreadytaken.
Skinner met and married an assistant on the Husker's soccer teamin 2002 and now the couple has a daughter, Sophie.
"Coaching's a tough thing if you don't have someone there forthe ups and downs," Skinner said.
Even with that step accomplished, he's on the coaching staff ofone of the best teams in the country, so it will take just theright job.
"At some point I want to have my own program, but I think timingis everything for my family," Skinner said. "I'm still enjoying thejourney right now of Nebraska, we have great players and a greatprogram, it's fun to be a part of."
John Shondell said Skinner already has a job better then 75percent of the head coaches in the country so it will take just theright job, but when it comes Shondell said he'll do a greatjob.
"Right now he has a pretty good situation even though he's anassistant," Walton said. "He's more then capable of being a headcoach, when the day comes that he takes over a program I know thatprogram will be very successful."
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