Former Arizona basketball star Chase Budinger’s run at the 2024 Paris Olympics beach volleyball tournament isn’t off to the start he would have hoped. But his path isn’t over just yet.
Budinger and partner Miles Evans dropped to 1-2 in pool play Friday with a 2-0 loss to Spain’s Pablo Herrera Allepuz and Adrian Gavera.
Budinger and Evans split their first two matches of the pool round. The Americans finished in third place in Pool 7, while with the top two pairs earned a guaranteed spot in the Round of 16.
However, Budinger and Evans will have an opportunity to play their way into the next round by advancing to the “lucky losers” stage, which pits the top third-place pairs against each other.
Budginer and Evans will play tomorrow against a yet-to-be-named opponent.
The 36-year-old Budinger turned pro in beach volleyball in 2017 after retiring from professional basketball.
