Before Dane Blanton started building a beach volleyball dynasty, he decided to put coaching on the back burner in the summer of 2018.
After four years as a volunteer assistant, he felt like he had reached his limit at USC. Anna Collier, the only head coach in USC beach volleyball history, seemed unlikely to move on to head coaching any time soon. And ESPN, where Blanton used to broadcast volleyball, offered her the chance to commit to a career in broadcasting, not to mention financial security. Considering our new baby, it felt like the perfect time to move on.
Blanton loved coaching. But he was ready for something new, and his broadcasting career, which included work as a sideline reporter for the Clippers and an Olympic analyst, looked ready to take off. Still, the following year, Collier reminded Blanton not to close the door on coaching completely. Little did she know at the time that she would retire from USC the following summer.
Stunned when he heard the news, Blanton considered giving it a shot himself. “Everyone and my brother wanted the job,” he said.
USC coach Dane Blanton is surrounded by players celebrating the Trojans' fourth straight national beach volleyball title. The Trojans won the championship on May 5 by defeating the UCLA Bruins in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
(Jamie Schwabelow/NCAA Photo via Getty Images)
But Collier, who helped pioneer beach volleyball as an NCAA sport while coaching at USC, had no doubts about who should replace her. Collier reiterated her idea to her USC leaders, some of whom were not convinced about hiring someone with her inexperience, she said.
“I felt very strongly that Dane should be the guy,” Collier said.
Five years later, Collier stood on a sandy beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama, watching USC win its fourth consecutive national title under Blanton. This consecutive victory is a unique record not only in NCAA beach volleyball, but also in the illustrious history of women's track and field. at the University of Southern California. At the University of Southern California, she was the only women's sports program in tennis from 1977 to 1980, winning the national title four times in a row. In the 45 years since then, USC has only had two such tournaments: for the men's tennis team (2009-12) and for the men's water polo team (2008-13).
Blanton spent the entire season trying to minimize the importance of this number to the team. However, looking back, I couldn't help but be a little amazed at the history they had built.
“You see three-peats every once in a while,” Blanton said. “But four-peats are nowhere to be seen. That's unheard of in any modern sport.”
The operation was made even more impressive by the fact that the man leading it had never previously led a team or program at any level. Of the seven coaches in USC history to win four consecutive national titles, Blanton is the first in his coaching history to do so. beginning I have four chances to coach.
And at USC, no one wonders why the winning streak can't continue even as the sport grows and investment pours into college programs across the country. They point to Southern California's endless talent pool and the culture Blanton has cultivated, which has successfully eradicated complacency within the program before a strong program can take hold. .
“There is no ceiling for USC beach volleyball,” says 2024 team captain Nicole Knowles. “I think we can win five games next year. Maybe six.”
As Collier watched Blanton walk on the beach last weekend, he found himself thinking about how far his former assistant had come since he started coaching. That's when she saw something in him. But since then, he has exceeded all reasonable expectations – except, apparently, her own.
“I always knew he would do this,” she said. “There's no end in sight for him at USC. I think he could stay there for the rest of his life if he wanted to.”
When Collier first proposed Blanton to replace her, USC decision-makers had one big concern.
“They definitely weren't happy with his lack of head coaching experience,” Collier said.
The reasons for that concern were primarily administrative. Blanton had never handled recruiting, compliance or other important aspects of running a university program. As a volunteer, he was only allowed to coach volleyball.
Mr. Collier assured Mr. Blanton that he would be able to learn on the job. However, USC tried out a few more experienced candidates before returning to Blanton.
“I'm sure some of the other candidates may not have worked out as well,” Blanton said. “My resume was very complete, but his didn't have a single box to check.”
His reputation in the sports world certainly preceded him. All-American indoor athlete who won a national title at Pepperdine in 1992. 2000 Olympic gold medalist on the beach in Sydney. In beach volleyball he was the first male Olympian to compete twice. First black volleyball player to win a major professional beach event (1997 he Hermosa Beach Open)
Dane Blanton of the United States digs during the 2004 Olympics against Switzerland on August 18, 2004.
(Dave Martin/Associated Press)
However, he was completely unproven as a coach. Most of Brunton's work has been with pairs, including recent world champions Sarah Hughes and Kelly Chen. Now he is at the helm of an entire program that has won his two of his first four NCAA national titles. And he was only allowed one assistant on his staff to help.
“Every team dynamic is different, so he had to learn some of that. But he did,” said Robin Schorfield, senior athletic director of sports psychology at the University of Southern California. “He didn't waste any time. And he's very welcoming of feedback. He asks everyone a lot of questions.”
But players and coaches say Blanton had an innate understanding of how to manage a team and the mental side of his job from the start. He embodies the image of beachy, California cool and rarely swings from his flat keel.
He focused on his strengths as a player and applied them as a coach. He taught his team how best to understand his partner's feelings and recognize their specific needs, and even taught them how to buy time by asking for permission to clean their glasses.
When it came to staying calm under pressure, he introduced creative visualization to his players and used it as players.
“You're putting yourself in that environment. You're feeling the wind,” Blanton said. “Then your mind thinks, 'Oh, I've been here before.'”
That's the same philosophy Blanton has as a coach. This is even reflected in the quote posted in his office.
“They're all important, but none are special.” That phrase has become somewhat of an unofficial mantra at USC over the past four years, as coach Blanton has approached USC's unprecedented run with as little effort as possible. It had become something.
This was especially true last season. After USC won its third consecutive national title in 2023, which some in the sports community expected to be a “build” year, Blanton and his top assistant Gustavo Rocha expected to There was a renewed focus on isolating the season as much as possible from the rest of the season. They say they never directly dealt with the pressure of trying to win a fourth straight championship.
“Those years are over,” Blanton said. no one can take them away from you. Please put them away. Well, about this year. ”
Of course, this is easier said than done. Especially when managing the expectations and egos of a team that only plays half of its players in any given week.
“That happened a lot this year,” Rocha said. “But like we always talk about and tell our players, there's nothing personal. It's all objective. We're going to play our best.”
That philosophy sometimes encouraged Blanton to make big changes to his lineup late in the season. Each match in college beach volleyball is worth one point in a single-elimination, best-of-five format, with combinations that can unlock teams or tip the delicate balance. there is.
USC coach Dane Blanton watches the match against UCLA in the beach volleyball national championship finals.
(C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photo, Getty Images)
“These nuances are the difference between good coaching and great coaching,” Blanton said. “That relationship of knowing what the players need, you have to stay on top of things or you're going to get into trouble.”
Midway through the 2021 season, the lineup changed to include future Olympian Tina Graudina and unproven freshman Megan Craft. They were USC's top pair, winning 14 of 15 matches and aiming for the title.
“At the time, people probably thought Dane was crazy,” Nourse said. “But it worked.”
Just before the 2023 NCAA Tournament, when USC was a No. 3 seed, Blanton added Jenna Johnson to the lineup after spending months in concussion protocol. Johnson and his partner had two important wins in the semi-finals and final.
Later this season, he shuffled the deck again, moving two of his most proven leaders, twins Nicole North and Audrey North, down to the No. 3 pair, while replacing two experienced graduate students with younger Players were divided into pairs. In the end, both teams earned important points in the title game.
“This completely strengthens our lineup,” Audrey Nurse said of this season's changes.
The North Twins, in their fifth and final season, delivered a decisive blow to UCLA during the championship period last weekend. The match between the two as the third-place pair was extended to the third game. All five of USC's championship games reached that point, a first in NCAA title history. But at a crucial moment, Brunton's new pairing paid off. And after playing to a 9-9 tie in the third game, the Twins pulled away. Nicole Nourse's block gave USC the title-winning point.
Tears streamed down their faces. The beach was filled with applause. The team took a ceremonial dip in the bay after their victory. They then strapped the NCAA trophy to the seat of a chartered flight. Nicole says it was “pure bliss.” The Twins will leave USC having won a national title every year possible, a feat rarely achieved by college athletes.
But after a few days, the past four years of training with Blanton started to pay off. They said his fourth title was no different than his first. And they were all now in rear view.
“I've won four races, I guess I'm a little numb,” Nicole said.
Jennifer Cohen arrived at Beachside 30 minutes before the championship match was scheduled to begin. She made the red-eye from Los Angeles to Gulf Shores in time for her first NCAA Championship as USC's Director of Athletics.
“There was nothing stopping me from being there,” Cohen said.
Since taking the position last August, she has been able to fully understand what USC is doing in Blanton. He had built a program at the University of Southern California that she called the “gold standard.” But it is clear that maintaining that standard requires more than just moral support.
It starts with keeping Blanton happy, first and foremost. His contract extension after last season made him the second-highest paid coach in college beach volleyball. Another title would probably mean a further increase in pay. But Blanton has other ideas to help the program, including pushing for more beach-specific scholarships.
Asked about extending Blanton's contract, Cohen said USC “will reevaluate it every year.”
“Retaining great coaches is something I always think about as an athletic director,” Cohen said.
As college programs across the country begin to invest more in beach volleyball, the gap between the top Trojans and the schools chasing them is narrowing. Since Blanton started working as his volunteer assistant in 2013, the number of Division I schools playing beach volleyball has nearly doubled. While USC was the first to have its own beach facility, other universities followed suit, building bigger and shinier stadiums. Meanwhile, USC teams still have to cross Figueroa Street to use the Galen Center locker room.
But Blanton has a coach who has built something that will last.Even if it's not about winning a national championship. every season.
“He's not going to win forever,” Collier said. “Let's face the facts.
“But he loves what he does. It's in his soul right now. You can see it when you see it. As long as that exists, he'll be in it for a long time.”
