Dream come true.
More than a week ago, I had one of the most memorable interviews I have ever done for Volleywood. I had the chance to speak with Kevin Hambly, the head coach of the Stanford women’s volleyball team.
I made it sure that our tête-à-tête at the Home Of Champions would be something different. Knowing that he would (almost) always end up talking about his job and the talented team he coaches, I formed questions that would make way for us to know him more as Kevin Hambly and Coach Kevin Hambly.
In our 60 minute plus chat, I asked about his early days back in college – Did he have a life outside volleyball? How did he balance his time being a student athlete? Then, we briefly talked about his professional career right after college. After a question or two, we then switched to speak about how his coaching career started. When did he truly realized that coaching was his calling?
Outside the volleyball questions, I put him on the hot seat and asked Qs like what makes a great team, his definition of success, how would he describe his personality and what he would do if he could live a day without rules and just be outrageous (his answer would surprise you!).
He also spoke about how he and his family are adjusting and loving the Bay Area, the people who have played a huge role in his professional career and finally shared how his “go out and talk to your teammates without your phone” exercise started.
Although he refused to sing his favorite song (darn it!), he happily and candidly answered my “Rapid Questions”. Believe it or not, it takes ZERO SECOND to fix his hair and the last time he played volleyball – like full on volleyball gear – was at the 2004 Olympics with Team USA.
On the other hand, one of the favorite questions I asked was the kind of advocacy he’d like to offer to the world and bring positive change. The answer? Watch and see.
If you watched the entire video, there were moments we shared some laughs, some smiles, got serious from time to time and most of all you got the chance to see the OTHER SIDE of Mr. Kevin Hambly.
I had such a wonderful time and I deeply appreciate how he accommodated my interview request up to the day he and I finally met.
Thank you Kevin! Thank you Coach Hambly!
Looking forward to have carnitas with you, Don, Carl, Dietre and Toshi!
Just Kidding!