Beijing, China, August 16, 2008 - USA Head Coach Hugh
McCutcheon returned to the bench on Saturday to guide his team to their fourth
straight victory of the Men's Olympic Volleyball Tournament and said it was
"business as usual."
A week after the death of his father-in-law Todd Bachman
in a tragic incident in Beijing, McCutcheon guided his players to a 3-0 victory
over hosts China at the Beijing Institute of Technology.
"I
wouldn't have come back if I wasn't ready," said New Zealander McCutcheon,
who missed the first three matches of the Beijing Games. "You know, what I
do is sit on the sideline and fire up the boys.
"I think it was comforting just getting back in the
normal rhythm of the team. All teams have a culture, and I'm certainly a part
of ours. So it was great to get back into the game and get going again.
"Since I walked in the mixed zone today, it's clear
that every media is focused on this story. I would say that it's good to be
here again. My family is back in the USA, last week was emotionally full, now
I'm extremely confident, back to business as usual," said McCutcheon.
USA captain Thomas Hoff said McCutcheon's return was a
comforting one for the 2008 FIVB World League winners.
"Yesterday I was informed that Hugh was coming back
to guide us. He was with us for the last four years, the staff made a very good
job without him, but we feel more comfortable now, the situation is more
familiar," said Hoff.
China Head Coach Jianan Zhou said McCutcheon's return
will bolster the USA team.
"After the incident, we were shocked and sad. We all
hoped that this would have not been affected. Now that McCutcheon is back,
their team will be even stronger," said Zhou.
Match description:
http://www.fivb.org/EN/Volleyball/Competitions/Olympics/2008/M/Press/viewMatchInfo.asp?Category=2&MatchNo=19&No=17967