Listen in as we sit down with the current assistant coach of CLU’s Women’s Volleyball team AND head coach of the brand new CLU Men’s Volleyball team! The previous high school teacher and lover of snakes has big plans for this season and can’t wait to get started.
Her Campus Cal Lutheran: What is your history of playing volleyball?
Kevin Judd: “I was taught by a good friend of mine, Craig Parker, because if it wasn’t for him, I probably would’ve never gotten into volleyball. I didn’t even know what volleyball was in high school. Craig taught me how to pepper on the side of the yard on concrete, he taught me how to dive on concrete, and it was enough to help me make a JV squad in high school. And then at Moorpark College, I started a club over there and was a “player coach” for a couple of years, and then my coaching career kind of began and I’ve been coaching ever since.”
HC: What are you most excited about with your new team this year?
KJ: “I’m excited that CLU is going to have men’s volleyball. I’m excited for the program to do well. I’m excited to just to coach guys again. It’s been since 2005 since I’ve coached a guys’ team, which was at Moorpark College, so it’s been about 10 or 11 years.”
HC: What is your favorite thing about being a coach?
KJ: “Working with the players! You know, it’s fun. It keeps me young even though my body isn’t as young as it used to be. I’m hoping that I can kinda keep up with the guys a little bit, especially my shoulder. But when Craig introduced me to the game it was just like a 180, I fell in love with the sport, and it’s such a great game, and I just love everything about it.”
HC: What do you think is going to be the biggest struggle with the men’s team this year?
KJ: “You know, one of the things I have to tell these guys is that every team is new, you know? Seniors go, freshmen come in, it’s a new team. We’re going to be a new team just like everybody else, but we’re a new program so I think the struggle is taking however many guys that it turns out to be, and having them believe in what we do. Kellee and I have kind of developed this program and have done some things that we will emulate with the men’s team, and if they buy into that and believe in that process, then I think that might be the biggest struggle.”
HC: What are your goals for this season?
KJ: “Defining the program, and what we’ve done with the women’s program is going to kind of be a foundation to what we want to develop with the guys. There will be some minor tweaking and stuff like that because it’s a guys team but kind of setting that foundation and setting the roots, if you will. I want to win a national championship! I think we can be really competitive and I’m going to push them hard.”
HC: What is your favorite thing about working at Cal Lutheran?
KJ: “Well for ten years I’ve just basically been a paid assistant. I came in, hit volleyballs at the girls team and I went home. I didn’t really get to immerse myself into CLU, and that’s a little bit of what has started. Now instead of just coming in and hitting volleyballs, I’m setting up a schedule, I’m contacting coaches and that’s a huge career change for me. From teaching science and designing my classroom, now I’m setting up a program and starting from scratch. And I’m kind of just taking each day as a learning process. I like the interactions that I have with other coaches because I’ve never had that before. I’m still learning a lot and getting to work with some really neat people and all of the coaches have been very supportive. I just think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
HC: Who is your biggest inspiration?
KJ: “My dad. He is the greatest guy in the world, so if I could be like my dad… He’s everything to me.”
HC: What are some of your hobbies?
KJ: “Something as weird as herpetology!”
HC: And what’s herpetology?
KJ: “Where I take my kid out in the desert and go looking for creepy crawlers, and go catching snakes. My kid is into it and I let him catch his first snake out in the desert last summer.”
HC: What is one thing a lot of people don’t know about you, but you think they should?
KJ: “Herpetology!”
HC: What is your favorite sport besides volleyball?
KJ: “The only other sport that I’ve played in a tournament since all this coaching stuff is… frisbee golf.”
HC: What is your favorite music?
KJ: “80’s rock.”
HC: What is your favorite movie?
KJ: “Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark cause there’s snakes in it.”
HC: What is your favorite quote?
KJ: “Never give up.”