Tokyo, May 2, 2006 -- Basketball's loss is most definitely volleyball's gain in the case of Hugh McCutcheon, the New Zealand-born head coach of the United States men's team.
Growing up in his native New Zealand, McCutcheon tried his hand at several sports, among them the Kiwi favourites of rugby union and cricket.
But it was a disagreement with his basketball coach that led him to take up volleyball at the age of 15 in high school.
The rest, as they say, is history.
"I participated in many different sports growing up but I just seemed to have a natural affinity for volleyball," he says, in an email interview with the World Championships official website.
"Once I started playing I was hooked."
So hooked that he transferred from the University of Canterbury in Christchurch to the United States and played volleyball for Brigham Young University from 1991 to 1993.
After two years playing professionally in Finland and Japan, McCutcheon's coaching career began back at BYU in 1995, and he rose through the ranks before joining USA Volleyball as a full-time assistant coach for the men's national team program in April 2003.
Less than two years later, in February 2005, the Kiwi was promoted to head coach of the men's national team, and was named 2005 National Coach of the Year by USA Volleyball, in conjunction with the United States Olympic Committee, after compiling a 27-6 record and winning five medals in five tournaments.
Now it's full steam ahead to the World Championships in Japan for the fifth-ranked Americans, who recorded wins over both Brazil and Italy last year.
When asked how it feels to be head coach of another country's national team, McCutcheon replies: "It's an honor and a privilege to coach this team. My nationality is not really an issue.
"I feel very close to both countries. New Zealand will always be home but America has afforded me many wonderful opportunities. I'm very passionate about them both."
The volleyball environments, however, are very different.
"The Kiwi indoor volleyball scene is completely amateur," says McCutcheon, who played for the New Zealand junior and senior national teams.
"In fact players pay to go on trips to represent their country. In the US the players have many more professional opportunities and volleyball is a job for most of them.
"So while the pride and work ethic in both countries is strong, you can't really compare the programs."
The same applies to life in general, away from the court.
"I think there are strong similarities between the two cultures, but there are also differences," he continues.
"Generally America is a very driven society that values hard work and material success. New Zealand tends to be a little more laid back with an emphasis on quality of life and people."
Talking about hard work, the Americans will face plenty of this if they are to win their first men's world title since 1986 and second overall.
"We have to get better in all phases of the game," he says.
"While we had a good year in 2005 we have a very difficult schedule in 2006, so we have a lot of work to do if we are to have a chance at the World Championships."
