HEAD COACH OF VOLLEYBALL AT SPRINGFIELD COLLEGE. NOW HE'S GOTTEN WORD HE'LL BE HEADING TO BRAZIL AS A MEMBER OF THE COACHING STAFF AT THE MEN'S OLYMPIC VOLLEYBALL TEAM. THE COACH CAME IN TO TELL US WHAT THIS MEANS TO HIM AND MORE. >> IT'S AN HONOR TO BE WITH THE NATIONAL TEAM, AND TO BE WITH THE OPPORTUNITIES LIKE IN THE WORLD CUP AND CHAMPIONSHIPS IT'S


GREAT BUT THE OLYMPICS IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT. IT'S THE BIGGEST TOURNAMENT BY FAR IN OUR SCHEDULE. 30, 40 YEARS, AND WHEN I GOT THE CALL, WE WERE JUST REALLY HAPPY. IT WAS A BIG HONOR, AN HONOR TO REPRESENT THE COLLEGE AT THE OLYMPICS WITH OUR HISTORY AND WITH OUR TRADITIONS, AND THAT'S JUST AN AWESOME OPPORTUNITY. >> I KNOW THAT YOU SAID IN THE PIECE THE COLLEGE SENT ME, IT'S THE MOST ICONIC SPORTING EVENT, AND I HAVE ALWAYS DREAMED OF COACHING THE OLYMPICS. >> YEAH. FOR SURE. I'VE BEEN TO THE WORLD GAMES, AND THE MAN AMERICAN GAMES MODELED ABOUT THE OLYMPICS BUT THEY ARE TIMES 100 AND EVERYTHING. JUST TO BE AROUND THE ATHLETES

IS REALLY COOL. THE ATHLETES MIGHT HAVE SOME -- THE ATHLETES THAT ARE HOPING TO BE WITH THEIR TEAMS IN THE OLYMPICS BUT THIS IS IT. THESE ARE THE BEST ATHLETES IN THE WORLD. SO IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY. >> YOU MENTIONED, AND I WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT MORE BECAUSE IT'S A BIG DEAL. I'VE BEEN WITH THE NATIONAL TEAM BEFORE. I'VE BEEN WITH THE PAN AMERICAN GAMES AND WORLD GAMES. SO DID YOU HAVE A SENSE OF MAYBE I AM HEADING IN THIS DIRECTION OR IS THAT THE KIND OF THING YOU DON'T LET YOURSELF DREAM ABOUT? YOU WORRY ABOUT JINXING IT? YOUR REACTION WHEN YOU GOT THE CALL, YOU SAID? >> THE HEAD COACH.

I WORKED WITH HIM QUITE A BIT, AND WHEN HE GOT THE JOB HE CALLED ME TO DO A BUNCH OF THINGS. THEY HAD TAKEN SKOUCH COACHES TO THE TOURNAMENTS. AND SOMETIMES THEY HAVE TO ENTER A B TEAM, AND LIKE IN THE PAN AMERICAN GAMES, I WAS ABLE TO BE THE HEAD COACH, AND LAST FALL, SEPTEMBER, THE TEAM PLAYED IN THE WORLD CUP AND THE WORLD CUP WAS THE FIRST QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITY FOR THE OLYMPICS.

JUST THE WINNER WENT TO THE OLYMPICS. SO I WENT TO THAT TOURNAMENT, AND WE WON THAT, AND THAT'S PRETTY COOL, WE CAN WIN THE WORLD CUP, AND MAYBE THEY WILL CARRY IT OVER, AND IT'S NOT SO EASY. THERE IS SO MANY SPOTS COVETED, AND A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES THERE, SO TO GET THE CALL, I WAS NOT SURE, EVEN AFTER THE WORLD CUP BUT TO GET THE CALL AND TO HAVE JOHN SAY, ABOUT THE OLYMPICS, THAT WAS PRETTY COOL. >> YOU KNOW THE TEAM YOU ARE GOING WITH, PRETTY WELL. YOU DID SPEND THREE WEEKS WITH THEM, JAPAN, THE WORLD CUP. CONSULTING COACH, SCOUTING OPPONENTS, AND WHAT'S YOUR SENSE? THERE IS A FEELING OBVIOUSLY THAT THIS TEAM IS A REAL.

CONTENDER. >> FOR SURE. THE WORLD CUP BRAZIL DIDN'T ATTEND BECAUSE THE COUNTRY DIDN'T QUALIFY. THEY ARE PROBABLY ONE OR TWO IN THE WORLD SO WITHOUT THEM, MAYBE NOT AS INDICATING OF A VICTORY THERE TO WINNING THAT TOURNAMENT. BUT FOR SURE THE TEAM, THE AMERICAN TEAM IS AMAZING HOW

WELL THEY ARE DOING. THEY ARE VERY YOUNG. WE WON THE WORLD CUP WITH THREE PLAYERS. THEY HAD NOT PLAYED PROFESSIONAL VOLLEYBALL. THAT WAS A BIG DEAL. TO HAVE THAT EXPERIENCE AND PUT THAT AND PLAY AT A HIGH LEVEL WAS REALLY IMPRESSIVE. OUR USA TEAM, THEIR GOAL IS REALLY ONE THING.

>> AND YOU ARE NO STRANGER TO THE COMPETITION BY ANY MEANS. I THINK THAT YOU WERE THE HEAD COACH AT THE U.S. NATIONAL TEAM AND AMERICAN GAMES 2015. AM I RIGHT ON THAT? >> THE PAN-AM CUP, 2015. >> OK. >> AND I BEG YOUR PARDON. I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT. NOW, THE WORLD CUP IN JAPAN, THE TEAM IS 10-1, I THINK.

THEY BEAT ARGENTINA. ARGENTINA IS USUALLY A POWER IN THAT SPORT. THEY ARE HIGHLY REGARDED. YOU MENTIONED, TOO, THAT IT WAS THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY IN THE MEN'S TEAM TO QUALIFY FOR THE BRAZIL GAMES. FIRST CHANCE, AND THEY GRABBED IT. THAT'S A BIG DEAL. THAT TAKES A LOT OF PRESSURE

OFF. >> IT'S A GRUELING TOURNAMENT. IT IS ROUND ROBIN, AND YOU ARE PLAYING 15 DAYS, WHICH IS REALLY PULLING ON THE GUYS PHYSICALLY, SO BECAUSE THERE IS MORE SUBURBANS AT THE END, AND THE LAST MATCH WAS ARGENTINA. WE LOST TO POLAND BUT IT CAME DOWN TO A TIE BREAK, WE GOT THE WIN WITH THEM. PRETTY COOL.

>> COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE COMPETITION, WHEN YOU GET AT THIS INTERNATIONAL LEVEL, NATIONAL TEAMS, OLYMPIC LEVEL, COACHING COLLEGE, SERIOUS, AND YOU TAKE IT SERIOUSLY, NO QUESTION ABOUT IT. BUT I WOULD THINK THAT THERE MIGHT BE A DIFFERENT INTENSITY. >> THE COURT LOOKS SMALLER BECAUSE THE PLAYERS ARE SO MUCH BIGGER.

I REMEMBER BEING IN THE ELEVATOR WITH A SCOUT ON THE RUSSIAN TEAM, AND THE CENTER WAS NOT AS BIG, BUT I GOT IN THE ELEVATOR, 6'8", AND I LOOKED BACK, AND I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF, HE WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF 7'3", AND THAT'S WHY HE LOOKED SMALL, BUT I WAS AMAZED HOW THEY ARE STILL SIMILAR, AND IT COMES DOWN TO FUNDAMENTALS AT ANY LEVEL SO THESE GUYS ARE REALLY GOOD

ATHLETES BUT ALSO DOING THINGS FUNDAMENTALLY SOUND WHICH HELPS THEM TO BE THE BEST ATHLETES IN THE WORLD. >> I WONDER IS THERE A BIT OF A DOWN SIDE TO QUALIFYING EARLY, HAVING WON THE WORLD CUP. DO YOU GO IN KIND OF AS HAVING A TARGET ON YOUR BACK, AND EVERYBODY SAYS THERE IS THE GUYS WE HAVE GOT TO BEAT. THAT'S THE TEAM.

>> ABSOLUTELY TRUE. ABSOLUTELY TRUE. THE OTHER DOWN SIDE IF WE DIDN'T QUALIFY IN JAPAN IN SEPTEMBER, WE WOULD HAVE GOTTEN THE TEAM BACK TOGETHER FOR A FEW QUALIFICATION TOURNAMENTS. SINCE WE DID NOT HAVE TO DO THAT THE TEAM DIDN'T GET BACK TOGETHER, SO THE OTHER TEAMS GOT MORE PREPARATION AND TRAINING IN MID YEAR THAN THE JANUARY AND

FEBRUARY SEASON. THAT WE DID NOT GET, SO THERE IS PRO AND IS CONS BUT ONCE WE GET THE QUALIFICATION OUT OF THE WAY, IT'S A RELIEF. >> I WONDERED THE WORLD CUP, QUALIFYING AUTOMATICALLY OR SO QUICKLY, THAT SAYS TO A TEAM YOU WORK WELL TOGETHER, AND IT HAS TO BE A CONFIDENCE-BUILDER? >> YES, A CREDIT TO THE PERMANENT COACHING STAFF.

THEY REALLY WORKED HARD AND HAVE DONE, LIKE I SAID, A YOUNG TEAM. THEY HAVE REALLY EXCELLED AND PLAYED AT A GREAT LEVEL. >> TELL US WHAT YOU KNOW AT THIS POINT. YOU HAVE GOT TO FALL BACK ON THE PAN AM GAMES AND THE WORLD CUP. DO YOU HAVE A SENSE OF WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO BE DOING AND WHAT YOUR SCHEDULE WILL BE LOOKING LIKE?

>> PRETTY MUCH THE SAME STUFF. IN THE GYM OR ON THE LAPTOP, WATCHING THE MATCHES AND GETTING READY FOR THE NEXT POINT BUT IT'S JUST SO MUCH STUFF. ANOTHER SCOUT. ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY, SEE IF THEY SEE ANYTHING AND LOOKING AT WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN AND HOW WE ARE GOING TO PREPARE. >> I WONDERED SOMETIMES, I THINK A LOT OF US WERE NOT INVOLVED IN

A SPORT AS DIRECTLY, REALIZE HOW IMPORTANT THE SCOUTING IS BECAUSE YOU ARE LOOKING, AS YOU SAY YOU ARE GETTING INTO ANOTHER MATCH AND YOU ARE LOOKING AT TEAMS AND YOU ARE LOOKING AT THEM ON THE INTERNET AND ANYTHING YOU CAN FIND AND TRYING TO SPOT THAT MOVE, THAT WEAKNESS, THAT SIGNALS THAT THEY ARE GOING TO DO. THAT'S AMAZING.

>> YES. THE NFL HAS THESE PEOPLE, THE SCOUT OPPONENTS. AND THEY ASKED THE COACHES, TO WATCH THEM, AND I COULD TELL YOU THAT THEY WENT LIKE THIS AND WHAT THE TELL IS, THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT, AND THEY DID NOT GET OUT OF THE FIRST ROUND SO WE NEVER SAW THEM BUT WE HAVE PREPARATIONS ON ALL THE TEAMS. WE HAVE SEEN THESE TEAMS IN THE

COMPETITION ALL FOUR YEARS SO A LOT OF THE SCOUTING REPORTS AND THE PREPARATIONS ARE DONE BUT THERE IS MORE TO DO. GET MORE INDICATION. >> CONGRATULATIONS AND I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU AND HAVE A GREAT TIME AT THE FLICTION. >> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.