Inside Wisconsin volleyball’s unique, new staff position
A longtime assistant for Kelly Sheffield has a new role for Wisconsin volleyball, one that puts the program in the forefront of a changing collegiate landscape.
The University of Wisconsin volleyball team is working to be at the forefront of its sport with a new position designed to tackle the ever-changing landscape of college athletics.
A lot of attention has gone to college football or basketball teams needing to navigate the new world of name, image and likeness (NIL), combined with the more recent approval of the House settlement that brings revenue sharing into the fold. But longtime assistant Gary White thinks his newly-created role as director of player personnel and analytics is where other volleyball programs are likely heading in the future.
Wisconsin announced July 23 the news of White’s transition from associate head coach, alongside Lauren Carlini and John Shondell officially becoming assistant coaches. The new gig is “an evolving process,” according to White, but one that will touch multiple, significant areas of the program.
His description of its scope feels like a lot for one person, at least from the outside looking in, but it’s not like White’s alone on an island. There’s someone on the staff that’s a touchpoint for each aspect of his duties, according to the longtime Badgers assistant, and he views himself as the “glue that brings it all together” for the Badgers.
“And one of the things in working with Kelly, he's always looking for how do we continue to elevate our team, elevate our program, elevate the sport, in a way that we continue to progress forward?” White said.