Behind the success of a team often lies a great coach. And if Cavigal Nice Basket is currently third in the Women’s Basketball League standings, it is partly thanks to Rachid Meziane.
Having been the coach of the Niss’Angels for nearly 3 years now, Rachid Méziane and his players are the sensation of the championship this season. Just promoted to the first division this year, the team from the Azure Coast is currently third in the championship. Within striking distance of the powerhouses that are Bourges and Montpellier.
For Rachid Méziane “the club is in its rightful place.” Interview
Nice Premium: You are having a fantastic season. No one expected you to be at this level. And halfway through, you’re neck and neck with teams like Bourges and Montpellier, you’re a contender for the national title…
Rachid Meziane: We’re still far from all that! (laughs). To be the champion of France, you need to have experience and a history. And it’s not our goal. Given the good results, we still want to stay at the top of the table and secure a spot in a European competition next season. For a first year, that would already be very, very good! You have to be realistic, and I think the club is in its rightful place.
Nice Premium: You currently have 2 consecutive defeats. One in the French Cup on Tuesday against Montpellier, the titleholders. But the more worrying defeat was last Saturday in the championship against Arras, the team at the bottom of the table. How do you explain it?
R.M: In a season, a team has its highs and lows. Right now, we’re going through a particularly difficult period. Arras allowed us to take external shots, but unfortunately, we weren’t successful. We then doubted ourselves and lost our game. Arras took advantage and executed a perfect hold-up. It’s a bump in the road; better for it to happen now than in crucial matches at the end of the season. We knew that the second half was going to be complicated, especially after our excellent start to the championship.
But the defeat in the French Cup against Montpellier is more anecdotal. Even though I really liked the girls’ mindset and their reactions during some sequences. They showed pride following the defeat against Arras. And that’s what I expect from them on Saturday evening against Montpellier.
Nice Premium: In these two defeats, one can note a drop in form from your star players. Notably Courtney Hurt and Romy Bar. Their underperformance was fatal to the team, and no one else was able to take charge. Is this concerning?
R.M: Yeah, but you can’t ask players to suddenly take on responsibilities and a role that’s too big for them. Everyone must progress at their own pace. But as I said, everyone experiences low moments in a season, particularly the players. We have young players who still lack experience, and we just have to give them time to gain it. That’s precisely what we are doing so that, in the future, they’ll be more effective and provide greater service to the team.
Nice Premium: You have been a member of the staff of the French Women’s National Basketball Team since 2014. We now know the opponents for the French team in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament which will take place in France from June 13 to 19. What are the chances for the French team?
R.M: We already have the advantage of playing at home, and we’ll count on all the support from the public. Out of the 12 teams participating, 5 will get a ticket to Rio. We just need to get past the quarterfinals, and we’ll be safe. And I think we have everything we need to qualify, even if we’ll have to beat strong teams like Turkey or Spain. But we have our chance to play our cards right.
by Désiré Teivao
