Benesh-Partain issue statement after splitting with coach Mike Placek

One of the strangest, and most unexpected, storylines of the Paris Olympic Games is the abrupt split of Andy Benesh and Miles Partain and their coach, Mike Placek.

This past Wednesday, early in Benesh and Partain’s final round of pool play — an eventual three-set win over Brazil’s George Wanderley and Andre Loyola — NBC courtside reporter Dain Blanton mentioned on the broadcast that Placek hadn’t been present in the team meeting before the match. Blanton said that when he asked Benesh about Placek’s absence, the 6-foot-9 blocker said that they were moving in a different direction.

Since, mum has been the word.

After the win over Brazil, Benesh answered VolleyballMag editor Lee Feinswog’s question about it by  saying “We’re just focused on preparing for the next matches.”

On Saturday morning, Benesh and Partain released this statement via USA Volleyball:

“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. 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.”

Placek was unavailable for comment.

He has been working with Benesh and Partain since they initially partnered up in the fall of 2022, helping them to three straight Elite16 medals in the summer of 2023, all but clinching their spot in Paris just a few months into the qualifying process. On the AVP, they made three straight finals, winning in Huntington Beach and Atlanta, finishing the season 14-2 and the 2023 Team of the Year.

Benesh and Partain have been on a relative slump since, winning just one medal, a bronze in June at the Ostrava Elite16, while mixing in four fifth-place fiishes and five ninths. They haven’t had the opportunity to play an AVP this summer, as the only event, in Huntington Beach, was the weekend before the Espinho Elite16 in May.

The tipping point, it seemed, was a near-disaster of a second set against Morocco in the second match of the Olympics. Benesh and Partain blew an 18-10 lead, needing to extend the set to 28-26 against the worst-ranked team in the field. It’s important to note that on the Beach Pro Tour and in the Olympic Games, coaches are not allowed to coach during matches, and are seated away from the players. Whatever went amiss during the match itself cannot be put on Placek.

Two days later, against George and Andre, an entirely different version of the team showed up. Benesh and Partain reverted to the high-risk system they deployed in 2023, jump-setting nearly every ball, optioning in serve-receive from spots on the court few, if any — even Sweden — would attempt. It worked, as they alas beat George and Andre, who had beaten them in three out of the four previous meetings.

“We found our mojo again and we’re super excited to recover and prepare for whoever we had next,” Benesh said after the Brazil win. “[The options and jump-setting] will be back. It’ll be back for eternity. We’re super happy with the style we played with today and we’re going to continue that.”

Placek is also the coach for Terese Cannon and Megan Kraft, who are enjoying a tremendous summer, that included a silver in Gstaad and bronze at the Vienna Elite16.

Paul Lotman, the assistant on both staffs, is in Paris and is serving as the de facto interim head coach. Benesh and Partain next play in the round of 16, against Italy’s Paolo Nicolai and Sam Cottafava, on Monday.

In the week leading up to the Paris Olympics, Benesh and Partain trained with Nicolai and Cottafava, and also hosted an exhibition in San Diego against the Italians.

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