Three-time gold medalist, Kiraly, up for latest challenge

When volleyball legend Karch Kiraly was contemplating whether to become an assistant coach on Hugh McCutcheon's U.S. women's national team or to continue coaching his sons at St. Margaret's high school in the Southern California town of San Juan Capistrano, his oldest son, Kristian, gave his father some advice.

"Kristian said, 'Hmmm ... on one hand, St. Margaret's, and on the other hand the U.S. women's Olympic team ... hmmm,' " Kiraly said. "It was kind of funny."

Funny, yes, but is also symbolized the next dramatic step in the career of arguably the greatest player in the sport's history.

Ultimately, Kiraly decided to take McCutcheon up on his offer. And since officially taking the women's assistant position earlier this spring, Kiraly has dove headfirst into his new endeavor with that same commitment, intensity and desire to improve that he did when he was an active competitor.

"I'm happy with the hire, that's for sure," said McCutcheon with a laugh. "He and I work very well together. He's incredibly knowledgeable about the game. He brings experience no one else in the world can bring today. The guy knows how to win."

McCutcheon knows a thing or two about winning, too. He led the U.S. men to the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Now he hopes the addition of Kiraly to his staff will help the U.S. women also achieve an Olympic gold medal.

On the flip side, Kiraly, 48, considers himself lucky to learn from McCutcheon.

"I get to work with Hugh, who is one of the best-if not the best-volleyball coaches on the planet right now and maybe in all sports,'' Kiraly said. "It's very exciting to learn under a mentor like that.''

Although Kiraly is a three-time Olympic gold medalist as a volleyball player, he realizes he has a learning curve as a coach.

"I spend a lot of time on the phone learning,'' Kiraly said. "My former Olympic assistant coach Bill Neville has been a great mentor for me. The more and more I have gotten into this, the more juiced I am by it. It's another side of volleyball for me. I've been a player and someone who represents the game well. This is an opportunity to something on a different level."

And now he has the time he needs to devote himself to learning how to coach.

"When I first started coaching the boys a few years ago, I was still very involved in competition. I only had so much time for coaching," Kiraly said. "But I really liked it right off the bat. I really enjoyed the challenge. When I do something, I try to do it well. I really enjoyed my immersion in learning. I still want to learn more and be the best coach I can be."

While his name is synonymous with the sport, Kiraly isn't about to use his fame as a crutch in his new position.

"Playing and coaching are very different activities," he said. "Any player who decides they are going to start coaching and doesn't think of themselves as someone who has a lot to learn, I think is making a big mistake. It takes a lot of dedication. This game is always changing. It's a never-ending search to try to make every second of training have that maximum transfer and the most value to the players. If I wasn't in that constant search or if maybe I just relied on what I learned 30 years ago, I wouldn't be a good coach. There are always things that can be done better and there are always things that can be learned.

"I am done with competition. I won't get any better as a player. Now, I'm driven to see how much better I can get as a coach and how we can reach our potential as a unit here."

Kiraly is also well aware that his name alone might initially cause some eyes to widen in the gym.

"It might be intimidating, but it's part of the learning process," he said. "Hopefully, I can add value to this program. In my experience, I worked with a group of guys to try and become the best in the world and we became the best in the world and we stayed there. That's what this program wants to do. The U.S. women have never done that. They want to be the best in the world."

McCutcheon has enjoyed having Kiraly at his side so far.

"His humility is incredible," McCutcheon said. "Everyone respects the history and the magnitude of what Karch has achieved as a player. He's humble. He goes to work and makes it about the players. It's wonderful to have him in here."

But don't expect to see that same outward intensity Kiraly showed on the court transfer into his coaching career.

"I'm a lot calmer as a coach," Kiraly said. "Indoors as a player I was fiercely and uniquely intense. I felt like I was kind of at the wheel as the driver of this thing that was the U.S. men's team. I felt I needed to drive myself and my teammates because the competition was so good.

"People probably thought we were partly crazy in terms of the intensity. But that was a way that helped us to be the best team in the world. That intensity was the result of our motivation to be the best team we could be. I do all I can to not have it come out as a coach. You have to have a more appropriate demeanor as a coach. I spend as much time telling an athlete what they did right. I emphasize positive reinforcement."    

In terms of the future, Kiraly likes what he sees for the U.S. women.

"The best part is I am working with athletes that can get better," said Kiraly. "As good as these women already are, they can get even better. That's exciting."

Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc. Mike Miazga is a freelance contributor for teamusa.org. This story was not subject to the approval of the United States Olympic Committee or any National Governing Bodies.

Tags: beach volleyball, Volleyball