The French coach of Villeneuve-d’Ascq since 2019, and coach of Belgium, Rachid Meziane is preparing to manage an American WNBA franchise, and more precisely the Connecticut Sun, from Wednesday January 1. There he will find the Ruthenian that Leïla Lacan (20 years old), who was drafted by this team in the spring, although she has not yet worn this jersey. Interview.
First of all, what is your opinion on Leïla Lacan, who you know at the moment as a rival in France (with Angers, then Basket Landes)?
Leïla is the future of French basketball! He showed that we should trust him for years to come. I like this type of player who is versatile. He has this particularity to be able to play in positions 2 and 1, he has a rather interesting size, I like his strength, his way of developing his game with aggression, he is a player who always terrible. He can defend well and has a real impact in attack. I honestly think he has a lot of room for improvement. By playing with the WNBA, the biggest club league in the world, she will learn alongside the best players, which will help her progress. In any case, I am happy to join a franchise where there is a French player! If I can support him in his development, I will be more than happy.
Leïla is a player where we positioned ourselves (along with Villeneuve-d’Ascq, Editor’s note) with the departure of Insep and also after his good season at Angers. It’s funny to find him so far away from everyone (laughs). He has real qualities that interest, I think, many coaches and teams. We rarely come across players who have such a significant impact at both ends of the pitch. That makes him a courted player.
After being drafted in April, he decided to focus on the French team and his new club, Basket Landes, and not immediately join the United States. Have you discussed with him his program for next summer, when the WNBA season starts on May 16 and the European Championship will also be held?
No. I don’t know him personally, apart from playing with him, but I got his contact details recently to talk a little deeper, to find out what his project is and to organize his ting -hot, so that he can be with us a little, before joining the French team, to better return to the second part of the competition across the Atlantic.
Does the WNBA season really coincide with a Euro?
Yes, there are already players who have done that. There are things that can be done, you just have to do it wisely. We want to think about it with him, of course, to optimize the maximum time we can spend with him.
So you trust him from next season?
I, coach, hope so and so does the Connecticut Sun franchise! We trust him. But we need to know his project.
On December 8, for your first match in Villeneuve-d’Ascq after announcing your imminent departure to Connecticut, you faced Leïla Lacan and Basket Landes. Did you talk to him a little?
No, I don’t think this is the right time to do it, he’s on his game and so am I. It is important for me to respect the right times to do these things. I don’t think it will disturb him, but there is no urgency, so I prefer to postpone it until a little calm time for everyone.
If Leïla Lacan is a young player, she already has experience in the Euroleague, with the French team, and in the Olympic Games. Is it an asset?
Yes, I think that last season, the leadership that he had to put in helped him in his development. The experience of this year’s Basket Landes, where the responsibilities are perhaps more shared, could benefit him and allow him to validate the phases of the step. And when you’re facing the best players in the world at the Olympic Games, you have to try harder! These experiences allow you to build confidence, acquire some skills and know where you want to go now. His trajectory is exemplary and I know he is a hard worker, which will only help his development. He already has the mental traits to give himself the means to succeed. And I encourage him to keep doing it.
Expansion draft: Ruthénoise is protected by his franchise
On December 6, two days after the formalization of Rachid Meziane’s tenure with the Connecticut Sun, an expansion draft took place in the WNBA, with the aim of bringing a new franchise to the league, namely the Golden State Valkyries. On this night, the team based in San Francisco has the possibility to choose 11 players from other teams in the championship, each of which can protect the six elements of their group. This is how the French Iliana Rupert and Carla Leite, drafted in the 9th position, one place before Leïla Lacan, at the beginning of the year in Dallas, changed franchises. Which is not the case in Ruthénoise. He, according to our information, is actually one of the players locked in the Sun, unlike Veronica Burton, forced to act, despite a time spent in the group, compared to zero for Lacan.