Olympics: McCutcheon wants to change the script

Hugh McCutcheon is hoping to coach the US women's volleyball team to an historic first gold. Photo / Kenny Rodger

Hugh McCutcheon is trying to create a different story in London.

The Beijing one is well known. A stranger wielding a knife killed his wife's father-in-law and seriously wounded his mother-in-law and their tour guide while his wife watched. Less than two weeks later, McCutcheon memorably coached the US men's volleyball team to an emotionally charged gold medal.

This time around the 42-year-old from Christchurch is hoping to coach the US women's volleyball team to an historic first gold. They come in as the world's No 1 ranked side and with an impressive 23 wins and only one defeat in 2012.

They are favourites to win gold. It would be a good story, and normally full of drama, but nothing can match what happened four years ago.

McCutcheon was initially reluctant to talk much about what happened in Beijing at today's official press conference. He doesn't want to be the narrative again.

"The Beijing stuff is not really relevant here. It's very much about the USA women, this campaign and this group. Eyes forward at this stage," he opened with.

"When I say it doesn't matter, obviously it matters, but it's not part of this story," he said later. "It's much different in that regard."

McCutcheon's story with the US national volleyball programme will effectively end at the conclusion of these Olympics. Afterwards he will step down from the national team to take up a high-paying position at the University of Minnesota. With a couple of young children - his son is 2 and daughter 3 months old - he has other priorities.

"This has been an unbelievable journey, but my goal in life is to be a dad, not a coach. With two young kids, I want to make sure I'm doing right by that. I don't want to raise them on Skype."

Family is clearly important and that would have been amplified even more after what happened in Beijing. He didn't really get a chance to grieve during the Games but found the emotion overwhelming soon after winning gold and raced off the court after hugging his players to find a quiet place, any place on his own, to let some of it out.

"I knew they'd be trying get it all on TV and I was just trying get somewhere private to take a breath, recompose myself," he said. "I didn't want to have my heart on my sleeve in front of the world. I stepped out, got it together and came back."

McCutcheon is clearly a good coach who enjoys a challenge and he didn't really want to return to London with the men's team. They were the best team in the world and he wanted to see if he could do the same thing with a different outfit.

"I was 38 after we won in Beijing," he said. "I am still relatively young as a coach. For me, this whole journey is about the experience. To stay in the international arena and just try to reinvent the same wheel didn't really hold the same appeal, same degree of engagement as maybe trying to take these principles and applying them to a different population.

"And I saw an opportunity to grow and evolve and have this really unique experience to coach both national teams, which has been fantastic It's been a challenge but been awesome. I'm so happy to be here with this team right now."

New Zealand is never far from McCutcheon's thoughts and his mother still lives there, but it's difficult to see him return there to live any time soon. He could never hope to earn the sort of money he does in the States - some estimates suggest he could earn around US$600,000 at the University of Minnesota - and volleyball is at an altogether different level.

"Honestly, I'm very passionate about New Zealand and it's a big part of who I am," he said. "If I can help, I'd be glad to help. I'm not sure the salaries at New Zealand volleyball are commensurate to what they are at USA Volleyball, or wherever, but certainly if I can add any value I would be happy to try."

If he did, it could mean a different story for volleyball in New Zealand.