Cutenese riding the wave

feature on OCC Cutenese 200 winsOrange Coast women’s volleyball coach just reached 202 wins, while the team is off to a 14-0 start this season.Time flies when you are having fun. Chuck Cutenese must be having a lot of fun at Orange Coast College.

The Pirates women’s volleyball coach has won 202 matches in his 14 years on the sidelines. This year may be more fun than most. His Pirates are 14-0, and leading the Orange Empire Conference.

“I was unaware of the 200 wins,” Cutenese, who also coaches the OCC men’s team, said. “When [OCC sports information director] Eric Montgomery announced it after Wednesday’s game, I was surprised.”

The homegrown coach has spent almost his entire life in the Newport-Mesa area. Cutenese’s family moved to Costa Mesa when he was 7. He attended Costa Mesa High, where he played volleyball.

After high school, Orange Coast had just dropped its men’s volleyball program because of budget cuts. In 1987, Bob Wetzel brought back the men’s volleyball team and Cutenese suited up for the Pirates his sophomore year.

Cutenese played the next two years at University of La Verne.

“Those two years were my last time not living in Costa Mesa,” the coach joked.

After La Verne, Cutenese pursued his education degree at Cal State Fullerton, while teaching and coaching at Costa Mesa High.

In 1991, former Pirates women’s volleyball coach Jane Hilgendorf asked him to be part of her staffC. Cutenese thought the opportunity to coaching older and more mature players would be a bigger challenge.

“Every year at this level is a rebuilding year,” Cutenese said. “It’s a necessity to spend so much time developing your players. Typically, I like to take one year to train, and one year for the girls to play.”

Making things more difficult is having to recruit with two premier programs five miles north (Golden West) and south (Irvine Valley) of OCC.

“It says a lot about the athletes in Orange County. The high school coaches and club teams do a great job of preparing their players for the next level,” Cutenese said. “The OEC is the strongest conference in the entire state of California in volleyball.”

One thing the coach is known for, in addition to his winning record, is his relationships with former players. Cutenese said he couldn’t name a favorite player, that it would be similar to “asking a parent which child they like best.”

Like children, they do come back. He has had numerous players come back to be part of his coaching staff.

Brynn Gillis -- from his first team in 1991 -- came back to OCC to be an assistant coach and he still keeps in touch with her.

This year, Dodi Drozd has been an assistant coach, having played last year for the Pirates.

“I am amazed at his knowledge of the game,” Drozd said. “He has such a strong attention to detail.”

“As a coach, he always wanted you to be focused, but he was still very personable off the court,” Drozd added.

Team captain Samantha Connor said she has enjoyed the experience of playing for Cutenese.

“When you play for him (Cutenese), he wants you to succeed,” Connor said. “He will bring out the best in you.

“When you see his former players still coming to practices, and wanting to be a part of the program, that says a lot about his relationships.” Cutenese said he believes Orange Coast is the perfect place for him.

“I have no aspirations of going anywhere for another job,” he said.

20051030KP1KDN6SNo Caption20051030ip5dncknCOURTENAY NEARBURG / DAILY PILOT(LA)OCC women’s volleyball coach Chuck Cutenese is enjoying a great season.