Hugh McCutcheon (@McCutcheonMN) will be entering his fifth season at the helm of Golden Gopher Volleyball. Named the 2015 AVCA National Coach of the Year and 2015 Big Ten Coach of the Year, McCutcheon gained earlier fame for coaching both the men's and women's volleyball teams to Olympic medals: the 2008 Olympic Games gold medal and 2012 Olympic Games silver medal, respectively.

Here, McCutcheon discusses the importance of connecting positive feedback to high expectations, suggesting that players who feel they need to be yelled at in order to “work out today” should examine their motivations for playing to begin with. A coach’s role is that of a “service provider,” whose job is to “facilitate improvement” in athletes by creating an environment that allows them to be the best that they can be. An integral part of this environment is accountability.