George Huhmann '20 Off to Strong Start in First Season of Pro Volleyball

1/19/2021

After one of the most storied careers in Princeton University men’s volleyball history, George Huhmann ’20 has been making an impact in the professional ranks over the course of the past year. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented obvious challenges, but Huhmann has made the most of the opportunity and continued to grow on and off the court.

Huhmann plays for Knack Roeselare. The team is located in Roeselare, Belgium, and plays in two leagues; the Belgian Volleyball League and the CEV Champions League. This is the equivalent of Premier League Soccer, but for volleyball. He is not the only Tiger playing in the world’s most elite league as Cody Kessel ’15 plays for the Berlin Recycling Volleys, who are also a member of the CEV Champions League.

While the team has battled injuries all of the issues that come with COVID-19, it is 11-1 in the Belgian League and still has the opportunity to make some noise in the Champions League if it can stay healthy.

Since transitioning from college to the professional ranks, Huhmann has continued to apply the principles he learned as Tiger. One of the most crucial has been the next-point mentality stressed by head coach Sam Shweisky.

If you make a mistake or an error, it's really important keep your head up and stay together as a team. Princeton was really, really good in that aspect. For me it's been important to take what I learned at Princeton about that next-point mentality and keep a positive attitude when people make mistakes or I make mistakes. That's been really important for me in my first year overseas.

George Huhmann

Noting that the game is more physical at the professional level and that he’s flying against a lot of extremely tall players with incredible jumping ability, the long seasons take a toll on one’s body. The importance of recovery, both for peak performance in matches and career longevity, is stressed at Princeton and this has been crucial for Huhmann at the next level.

“Maintaining that high level of recovery and just nutrition is so important at this level," said Huhmann. "Those are really important things that I think I might have not have had a great idea of when I was in high school, but I Princeton helped me with that as far as nutrition and recovering from matches and practices.”

The people skills Huhmann learned at Princeton have also paid off at in the pros. Interacting with people, whether it be equipment managers, athletic training staff or the media, is second nature to him thanks to his time as a Tiger.

“Overseas, sometimes you can kind of just be focused on your teammates and your coach and not be as focused on the other people in the organization,” explained Huhmann. “Coach Shweisky did a really good job of helping us learn to talk to people within the Princeton community and in general. I've felt like that's helped me kind of develop relationships within the organization and the management.

Overall, I've been able to have better communication skills with the people in the organization because of what Coach Shweisky emphasized and the importance he placed on just having a good relationship with the team around the team members.”

Under Shweisky’s guidance at Princeton, Huhmann’s list of accolades grew exponentially by the year. He was named the Uvaldo Acosta Memorial EIVA Player of the year in 2019, the same year Princeton won the EIVA title. Huhmann was a two-time American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Honorable Mention All-American selection, a four-time First-Team All-EIVA honoree and the 2017 EIVA Newcomer of the Year. It comes as no shock to those who have followed his career that he is now excelling at the professional level.

Professional volleyball in Europe is known for its massive crowds and rowdy atmospheres, something Huhmann is unfortunately yet to experience due to COVID-19. When those crowds return, the feeling will be even sweeter. That said, his first year has not been without its highlights. Helping the team earn an 11-1 record in the Belgian League stands as an obvious one, while Huhmann also lists a Champions League match in Modena, Italy, as one of his favorite moments. In this match he faced off with Team USA starting setter, Micah Christenson, and his Leo Shoes Modena squad.

“It went five sets and we ultimately lost the match, but it was a really just intense game where everyone was playing at the top level,” proclaimed Huhmann. “It was fun to see him (Micah Christenson) again and play against him, especially in something really important like Champions League. Those are some of the most important games of our season, and to take a really high-level team like Modena to five sets at home, where it came down to the wire, was a really great experience for me in my first year.”

A typical week for Huhmann involves a serve and pass on Monday and Tuesday mornings, followed by a lift right after. The team will then typically practice for about two hours in the afternoon. If there isn’t a Wednesday match, the day will be a little slower and more recovery focused with potentially one practice. Thursdays and Friday’ look a lot like Mondays and Tuesdays, then the team plays each Saturday. Sunday is generally a free day where Huhmann can do what he chooses.

“In comparison to my life at Princeton I have a lot more free time over here,” explained Huhmann. “Besides volleyball, I don't have much else to do. At Princeton I had academics and schoolwork and over here it's mostly just about trying to find stuff to fill my time that takes my mind off volleyball.”

He quickly realized the importance of making the most of this time.

It’s important to fill your free time with things that are going to take your mind off volleyball. Try doing things that you can better yourself in. Doesn't really matter what it is, but just know that there's a lot of free time, and having a plan with what to do with that free time is really important.

George Huhmann

In normal times, Huhmann would have a new city and even a country to explore. This has not been possible due to COVID-19, so Huhmann decided to take up the guitar in December. Not only has this allowed him to acquire a new skill, but it has also been another method in which he has bonded with his teammates.

“It's been a little bit of a struggle to learn to play by myself and I'm kind of just making noise at this point, trying to figure out the chords,” said Huhmann. “It's been fun just to play. We stayed at a hotel during Champions League play for a few days and my teammate from Greece plays guitar and he was teaching me. He's really good and I was learning from him. I’m happy I have something that I can set goals for myself and improve on. I'm still trying to learn and get better at it, it's a progress. It's not going to happen overnight.”

Another adjustment for Huhmann has been going from a senior at Princeton to a rookie in the pros. Many of the men he plays against are in their 30’s, have families and their careers established. Fortunately, Huhmann has been embraced by his teammates from the start. This has helped being a newcomer in a foreign land during a global pandemic, where options to leave his apartment are very limited.

“They’ve been done a really good job welcoming me into a team where some of them have played for 13 plus years,” proclaimed Huhmann. “They're all speak English and are just really nice guys. I know a lot of pro volleyball players that have come overseas and have had bigger language barriers on the teams that they've played on. For me it really hasn't been that bad.

There are a few younger guys on the team that live in the same apartment complex as me where I’m able to hang out with them We're good friends and we try to do stuff on our on our days off, that's been really cool for me to kind of have a family over here as well. My club in particular does a really good job of making sure that the environment is like a family, entire organization is united."

Our motto is one team, one family. That's put up above the scoreboard in our gym. I'm lucky to be here and in a place where it's like, it feels like a family.

George Huhmann

Huhmann’s accomplishments, both in college and the pros, are made more incredible by the fact he was a late bloomer and did not play organized volleyball until his freshman year of high school, where he was a member of the junior varsity team during his freshman and sophomore years. To put things in perspective, Huhmann went from never having played an organized version of the sport to being named the EIVA Newcomer of the Year and first team All-EIVA in the span of five years.

“The coaches saw me playing junior varsity, saw that I was tall and I thought it would be a good fit if I tried out for the club team, which I did,” said Huhmann. “I really liked it, made varsity and then got recruited to Princeton.”

Prior to that, basketball was a huge part of Huhmann’s life, playing year-round from the time he was young until his sophomore year of high school. While he loved basketball, it was not possible to play manage club and volleyball and hoops year-round as there was just too much overlap. Huhmann realized he loved volleyball more and felt it presented him with more opportunities to play in college, along with the strong team aspect that comes with volleyball.

“That's one aspect of volleyball that I really love, and you see that a lot at Princeton," said Huhmann. "The team aspect of it is so important to Coach Shweisky and everybody on the team, they emphasize coming together and having a positive attitude. That's something I love about volleyball.”

Despite the limitations placed on this season, Huhmann has made the most of it. He hopes to continue the momentum he has gained with Team USA over the summer. Making the Olympic Team is another goal of his.

Playing on the national team this upcoming summer and in the next few summers is going to help me develop as a player a lot. Getting that international experience and playing for your country is really cool.

George Huhmann

In August 2019, Huhmann along with Cody Kessel ’15 teamed up on the national team that played at the North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) Championships. With Shweisky serving as an assistant coach, Team USA went on to win a silver medal. This national team experience is something Huhmann is looking to replicate, in hope it will help him eventually gain Olympic selection.

“I’m hoping to do that again this upcoming summer and in future summers," said Huhmann. "The Olympics are definitely my goal, if it's not Tokyo then hopefully Paris or LA in 2028, but definitely one of my goals.”