{"id":1103,"date":"2026-06-09T05:35:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T05:35:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1103"},"modified":"2026-06-09T05:35:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T05:35:19","slug":"sky-walker-returns-new-rainbow-wahine-volleyball-coach-embraces-programs-legacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1103","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Sky Walker\u2019 returns: New Rainbow Wahine volleyball coach embraces program\u2019s legacy"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<section>\n<p>HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) &#8211; New Rainbow Wahine volleyball head coach Joshua Walker spent the weekend recruiting and meeting with the team.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1101\">Maui fire survivors to receive more than expected from $4B settlement<\/a><\/p>\n<p>As he begins his first head coaching job, Walker said he still can\u2019t believe he\u2019s taking the reins of an iconic program.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt makes absolutely no sense to any human standards that my name is next to Alan Kang, David Shoji and Robyn Ah Mow,\u201d said Walker.<\/p>\n<p>Walker grew up in Virginia Beach as a multi-sport athlete, starting with basketball and eventually settling into volleyball \u2014 the sport that brought him to Hawai\u02bbi as a high-flying outside hitter. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cWhen I first got to the University of Hawai\u02bbi, I was thinking \u2018Hey, I want to be a great player. I want to be an All-American. I want to win a national championship,\u2019\u201d said Walker. \u201cBy the time that I left, what really got me motivated was just knowing a fan would leave the arena with a smile on their face because we won.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That connection with fans made Walker a fan favorite. The All-American even got the nickname \u201cSky Walker\u201d for his larger-than-life presence on the court.<\/p>\n<p>Walker remained close to the program, joining Charlie Wade\u2019s staff in 2016 and helping lead the \u2018Bows to two national titles.<\/p>\n<p>However, a part of him always wanted to coach on the women\u2019s side.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy mom is very influential in my life. My sister, I wouldn\u2019t even be playing volleyball if it wasn\u2019t for my sister,\u201d said Walker. \u201cI had the opportunity to get into the women\u2019s side which there are more opportunities but also just a chance to be around great powerful women.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1099\">Honolulu unveils Kokua Command Center to coordinate homelessness response<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Walker spent the last four seasons at Baylor University. He said he plans to apply what he learned there as Hawai\u02bbi prepares to join the Mountain West Conference.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just want to be a great steward of the program so I think in the end, just continue to find ways to give back to the university and continue to raise money. I think it\u2019s a big factor for all of college athletics,\u201d said Walker.<\/p>\n<p>Walker calls his return to M\u0101noa a full-circle moment. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>It\u2019s also where he met his wife, former Wahine soccer player Tehane Higa. The couple now has five children.<\/p>\n<p>Walker said they visited often, but admitted there\u2019s nothing like calling Hawai\u02bbi home.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m looking forward to getting some good broke-da-mouth sushi, some kalbi. I told Te, \u2018Hey, I\u2019m probably gonna gain some weight now,\u2019\u201d Walker said.<\/p>\n<p>Walker is currently on the road recruiting, but plans to spend Father\u2019s Day in Hawai\u02bbi with his family.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1097\">Kauai murder suspect captured after chase ends in ocean off Kapaa<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New head coach Joshua Walker is busy recruiting and meeting the team, and says he can\u2019t believe he\u2019s taking over the iconic program.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1102,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>\u2018Sky Walker\u2019 returns: New Rainbow Wahine volleyball coach embraces program\u2019s legacy - 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