U.S. Volleyball sets indoor men's team
USA Volleyball has named 12 athletes to the U.S. Men’s Olympic Indoor Team. Californians are aplenty on the squad that includes: Lloy Ball (Woodburn, Ind.), Gabe Gardner (San Clemente), Kevin Hansen (Newport Beach), Tom Hoff (Park Ridge, Ill.), Rich Lambourne (Tustin), David Lee (Alpine), Ryan Millar (Palmdale), Reid Priddy (Richmond, Va.), Sean Rooney (Wheaton, Ill.), Riley Salmon (League City, Texas), Clay Stanley (Honolulu) and Scott Touzinsky (St. Louis).
Hugh McCutcheon (Christchurch, New Zealand), the U.S. Men’s National Team coach since 2005, will coach the team at the Beijing Games. This is McCutcheon's first Olympic Games as a head coach, though he served as an assistant under Doug Beal during the 2004 Athens Games, when the U.S. men finished fourth.
"We feel very confident that we have selected the best team to represent this country at the upcoming Olympic Games," McCutcheon said. "We have a good mix of experience and youth, and we have 12 very good volleyball players on this roster. They work well together both on and off the court, and they compete at a very high level."
McCutcheon will be assisted by Ron Larsen (Lafayette), John Speraw (Irvine), Marv Dunphy (Malibu), Jamie Morrison (Dana Point), Carl McGown (Provo, Utah) and Rob Browning (Newport Beach). Aaron Brock (Storm Lake, Iowa) will travel to Beijing as part of the U.S. Olympic Committee’s medical staff.
Ball will become the first U.S. Men’s volleyball player to compete in four Olympic Games. He previously played in the 1996 Atlanta Games, the 2000 Sydney Games and the 2004 Athens Games.
-- Greg Johnson
Photo: Lloy Ball sets a shot for David Lee during a recent NORCECA Olympic Qualifier FIVB game against Puerto Rico. Finland Credit: Jose Jimenez/USA Volleyball
