DIFFICULT DECISION
It was just announced that U.S. men’s volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon will return to direct the team today after being away to tend to his wife’s family. McCutcheon’s father-in-law was murdered and his mother-in-law seriously injured at a Beijing tourist spot last Saturday. McCutcheon’s wife and her sisters have departed China with their mother.
Question: Is McCutcheon returning to the bench a good thing for all involved? The Americans are 3-0 in pool play entering their game against China and have seemingly found a way to move past all the questions about their head coach and play extremely well here, already beating the likes of Italy and Bulgaria.
McCutcheon finds himself in the most difficult of spots. There is no coaching manual for this. But it’s also true momentum is one thing you
don’t mess with in sports. Even if the U.S. gets past China — the game begins in under 30 minutes — anything less than a gold now will
undoubtedly leave McCutcheon’s decision open for debate.
