Former UH men’s volleyball star Jakob Thelle makes first offseason stop in Hawaii

During his first season of professional volleyball, Jakob Thelle always looked forward to his first trip home.

From home, the Norway native considered returning to Hawaii.

Thelle, a former University of Hawaii passer from 2019-23, became a Hanai son of the islands during his time in the Rainbow Warrior uniform. After leading the ‘Bows to national titles in 2021 and 2022, he decided to return for a fifth year of collegiate volleyball in 2023. Thelle was named the AVCA National Player of the Year in 2023, guiding the ‘Bows to the game national championship. again before falling to UCLA.

All the while, Thelle adopted Pidgin English as her second language, endearing herself to the state on countless occasions. He recently completed his first professional season with Volley Lube in Italy, returning to Hawaii for the first part of his first offseason.

“There are a lot of emotions that come up when I get back, but I’ve been looking forward to this day since I left,” Thelle told KHON2. “I always try to get these tickets as soon as possible and I’m back here in Hawaii. I’m back home.”

Thelle played sparingly behind world setter Luciano De Cecco in her first year, but professional volleyball was still a chore. Volley Lube’s season consisted of nearly 50 games over a period of nearly six months, with multiple games each week.

“It was a pretty incredible experience. It’s a lot different than college, but just to have a professional life, to not worry about school, it was a very high level, one of the best leagues in the world,” Thelle said. “Not only getting this experience, but my first year is very valuable for my career.”

Despite the huge time difference between Europe and Hawaii, Thelle made sure to watch as many UH games as possible, which is why the injury to former teammate Spyros Chakas hit him hard.

“My emotions were pretty much the same as everyone else here and the fans who have followed the team over the years. Spyros became an amazing leader for the team and it was really hard to see him fall, but the way he was able to contribute even though he wasn’t on the field was incredible. That says a lot about him, about his character. He’s really important to the team and the culture we’ve built together,” Thelle said.

“I will still make time (to watch the Hawaii games in 2024). I didn’t get to see it live, but I always made sure to watch it on YouTube like I did in my Hanabata days before coming to UH. I was able to watch just about every game they played here.

Although Thelle’s time in the Hawaiian uniform is over, her sister, Julia, continues the family legacy. She recently completed her freshman season with the Rainbow Wahine beach volleyball team.

“I don’t know where to start. It’s huge to have my sister come and follow in my footsteps. Of course, she’s here to build her own career and accomplish great things, but it’s special to have family here “, did he declare. “It’s great that she can also live the life I lived here. I experienced the most incredible moment of my life.

Most professional athletes choose to spend their offseason quietly. Although Thelle has recently been able to satisfy his poke cravings and visit some of his favorite places on Oahu, he also spends his time giving back to the community. On Friday, he was assisting former teammate James Anastassiades at a Volley Method clinic at Volley Hawaii. He’s also expected to help another former teammate, Filip Humler, now Kamehameha’s assistant men’s volleyball coach, in a separate event.

“That’s exactly what I was missing in Italy, which was having that community. I was thinking about the community here in Hawaii, both in volleyball and outside of volleyball too,” Thelle said. “The community here is special and you don’t get that anywhere else in the world, so being here and being part of the community is really important to me.”

On Friday and Saturday, Volley Method held setup clinics with Thelle as one of the coaches alongside Anastassiades, giving Hawaii’s young players the opportunity to learn from the same players they grew up with. looking. Thelle’s advice for them?

“Where to start, where to start? I just think they need to take responsibility for their own development. They’re going to have a lot of different coaches and get the most out of them, spend time thinking about what they need to do at training and being more attentive and really enjoying the time they have playing for different teams and for different coaches. Really, take it all in because you get it all here at Hawaii Nei.