Team USA beach volleyball players part ways with coach Mike Placek mid-Olympics due to strategic conflict
PARIS, FRANCE: Team USA beach volleyball teammates Andrew Benesh and Miles Partain decided to part ways with coach Mike Placek due to strategic conflict amid the 2024 Paris Olympics on Saturday, August 3.
The decision was made between their 2-1 win over Brazil on Thursday, August 1, and their win against Morocco 2-0 in preliminary Pool D play on Tuesday, July 30, according to USA Today.
Team USA beach volleyball players part ways with coach
In the afternoon play, Andrew Benesh and Miles Partain won against Brazil's George Wanderley and Andre Loyola 21-17, 14-21, 15-8 without Placek.
Benesh and Partain said in a joint statement released Saturday, "We are very grateful for Mike Placek’s generosity, dedication, and tireless efforts leading up to the Olympics. His commitment and contributions have been unwavering. After careful consideration, we have decided it is best for us to part ways and explore different strategic paths."
They added, "We remain deeply appreciative of what Mike has done for us and wish him continued success in all his future endeavors. We prefer to keep this decision private. We are releasing this official statement to clarify and address some misleading rumors regarding the situation. We have a great support staff and appreciate their effort and commitment during this transition."
Notably, NBC broadcaster Dain Blanton was the first to report on Placek's disappearance. He said, "There was a team meeting and a team decision to not move forward with their coach. What that means is possibly (assistant coach) Paul Lotman will move into that coaching spot. We do not want to speculate on the details. We will get those answers after the match from the players themselves."
Both Benesh and Partain were mostly silent about the situation after the Brazil match.
Chase Budinger and Miles Evans reach knockout stage of beach volleyball tournament
Former NBA player Chase Budinger and his teammate Miles Evans reached the knockout stage of the beach volleyball tournament at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Saturday, August 3.
They defeated Australia in straight sets in the final match of the lucky loser round on Saturday night. They will face Tokyo gold medalists Norway in the round of 16 on Monday, August 5.
Budinger said, "They’re the best team in the world. We’ve got our work cut out for us, for sure."
They lost two of their three preliminary matches and ended up at third spot in the group, making it mandatory to beat Australia to qualify. They won the first set 21-19 and moved ahead midway through the second to win 21-17.
Budinger added, "It just felt good to play better. Our last two matches, we just weren’t ourselves. And it felt good to just get back to being ourselves. So if we can continue doing that, I’ll be happy no matter what happens after this."
