From Virginia Beach to Mānoa: Joshua Walker’s Full-Circle Journey to Rainbow Wahine Head Coach

“It makes absolutely no sense to any human standards that my name is next to Alan Kang, Dave Shoji and Robyn Ah Mow.”

Joshua Walker laughed as he reflected on becoming the next head coach of the University of Hawai‘i Rainbow Wahine volleyball program.

The Rainbow Wahine program traces its roots to 1972 and has become one of the most successful and recognizable brands in collegiate volleyball. Over more than five decades, only three people have held the position Walker now assumes.

As he prepares to become the fourth, Walker is still processing the significance of the opportunity.

“It’s clear that God has had His hands uniquely placed on my life the whole time, whether I’ve realized it or not, to get me to this point,” Walker said during his introductory media availability.

While the position may feel surreal to Walker, the path that brought him here has been years in the making.

Long before he became an All-American, national championship-winning assistant coach, or one of the most respected rising coaches in the sport, Walker was a kid growing up in Virginia Beach who dreamed of playing in the NBA.

Volleyball wasn’t originally part of the plan.

His older sister changed that.

“My sister played in high school before me,” Walker recalled. “I wanted to be a basketball player.”

His sister convinced him that volleyball would better complement basketball than football, and Walker decided to give it a try. The decision ultimately changed the course of his life.

By the time he graduated from Tallwood High School, Walker had developed into one of Virginia’s top volleyball prospects. While several schools recruited him, Hawai‘i entered the picture late in the process.

The decision to leave the East Coast for Mānoa wasn’t necessarily the obvious one, but it was the one that felt right.

Walker arrived at UH in 2006 and steadily developed into one of the top players in the program. By his junior season, he had become an AVCA All-American and eventually finished his career with 1,428 kills, which still ranks among the best totals in school history.

Photo credit: Hawaii Athletics

One of the most influential relationships during that time was with Charlie Wade.

Wade was hired in 2009 and took over the Rainbow Warrior volleyball program for the 2010 season, Walker’s junior year. The change proved significant for both the program and Walker’s development.

“I didn’t need a lot of motivation,” Walker said. “I just needed a clear path.”

Walker credits Wade for helping provide that direction, and the two maintained a close relationship long after Walker’s playing career ended.

His years at UH also shaped his life away from volleyball.

Walker met Tehane Higa, a standout defender on the Rainbow Wahine soccer team. The two would eventually marry and build a family together. Today, they are raising five children.

Volleyball helped bring Walker to Hawai‘i, but the relationships he built during his time at UH ensured Hawai‘i would always remain part of his life.

Joshua Walker with wife Tehane (Higa) and their children in 2022 | Credit: Joshua’s Walker’s Instagram @jwalkuh27

After graduating, Walker spent several years playing professionally overseas and with Team USA. But when an opportunity arose to return to UH in 2016 as an assistant coach under Wade, he didn’t hesitate.

His first season on the coaching staff confirmed he had found a new passion.

“After that first season, I was really hooked,” Walker said.

Over the next seven seasons, Walker helped the Rainbow Warriors become one of the premier programs in men’s collegiate volleyball. Hawai‘i compiled a 149-36 record during his tenure and captured back-to-back NCAA National Championships in 2021 and 2022.

Along the way, Walker earned AVCA Assistant Coach of the Year honors and developed a reputation as one of the brightest young coaches in the game.

Yet despite the success, he felt there was more to learn.

When Baylor offered him an opportunity to join its women’s volleyball staff in 2022, Walker saw it as a chance to broaden his experience rather than simply advance his career.

“I didn’t necessarily go there to just add a line on the résumé,” Walker said. “I really went there to become a better coach and to have a chance to coach women.”

During his four seasons at Baylor, Walker helped the Bears remain among the nation’s top programs while gaining valuable experience in recruiting, roster management and the evolving landscape of women’s collegiate volleyball. He also continued to expand his coaching résumé through USA Volleyball, helping national teams win gold medals at international competitions.

The move reinforced something many within the sport already believed: Walker was preparing to become a head coach.

This year, that opportunity arrived.

Athletics Director Matt Elliott said the search focused on finding someone who understood Hawai‘i’s history, could navigate the modern recruiting environment, and possessed a clear vision for the future.

Walker checked every box.

His familiarity with UH, experience coaching championship-level volleyball, and understanding of the current collegiate landscape made him an ideal fit for a program entering a new chapter.

“It’s less about me feeling like I wanted the UH job and more about me being called to do this job,” Walker said.

Even before officially arriving back in Honolulu, Walker was already focused on the future. He conducted his introductory media availability via Zoom from Phoenix, where he was recruiting while preparing for the upcoming season.

There is still a roster to evaluate, a staff to finalize and a season to prepare for.

But after four years away, there are also a few things outside of volleyball that Walker is looking forward to.

Asked what he missed most about Hawai‘i, he immediately thought of the food.

“Sushi, sashimi on a more consistent basis, for sure,” he said with a laugh. “You can get sushi on the mainland, obviously, but these things are so small and the fish is barely in there—or you can tell it was frozen.”

Then came the rest of the list.

“I’m looking forward to getting some good broke-da-mouth sushi and getting my kalbi.”

Walker joked that returning home could come with one unintended consequence.

“I’m probably going to gain some weight now,” he laughed.

For a coach who has spent the last two decades building a life connected to the University of Hawai‘i, it’s a small price to pay for the opportunity that now awaits him.

The journey from Virginia Beach to Mānoa has taken him around the world.

Now, it has brought him back to lead one of college volleyball’s most storied programs.