Former FSU and USF assistant coach Dave Zimroth is most at home on a basketball court.

It’s evident in the ease at which he flows from one drill to the other, teaching fundamentals to a group of kids.  The basketball court is home.

His two daughters, however, have directed his attention to a different court, the volleyball court. Oldest daughter Lizzie, now at the University of Central Florida, and his youngest Abby, a standout player for Tampa Catholic grew up as gym rats, thanks to their dad’s profession. But it was the lure of volleyball, not hoops, that interested the girls.

“My daughters came to me in the fifth or sixth grade and said they wanted to start playing volleyball and I had no problem with it,” Zimroth said. “They grew up in gyms so while I was coaching and teaching kids how to play basketball, they’d go get the volleyball and pepper with each other.”

There was a learning curve for Zimroth when his daughters became immersed in the world of club volleyball.

“We had to teach him a lot, but he’s grown to really like it and he loves watching us play,” Abby said. “He loves coming to the games and tournaments. He even says he loves it more than basketball.”

Now that’s saying something considering Zimroth’s resume. He was a member of Pat Kennedy’s FSU coaching staff that led the Seminoles to the Sweet 16 after an upset of Georgetown in the 1992 NCAA Tournament.  But Zimroth declares those basketball memories pale in comparison to sitting court side of a volleyball match.

“Probably the best thing that ever happened to me in my life was having daughters,” Zimroth said. “They’ve made me a much better person, a much better man. They’ve taught me more than I’ve taught them, trust me.

“I’ve gotten more enjoyment watching them play volleyball than coaching at any level I ever coached in college. Nothing compares to it.”

Click on the video to see the worlds of basketball and volleyball colliding for Coach Z.