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A look back with Hall of Famer Katie Smith at Team USA's success and the great Belgian Cats' run in the FIBA World Cup 2018 - 19 days ago

Because of professional commitments, I did not get the opportunity to travel to Tenerife for covering or attending the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup this year. It has nevertheless been an honor and a great chance for me to closely follow the world's women basketball top competition through the media and have a feedback from Women's Basketball Hall of Famer Katie Smith via the social networks during the last few days! I have known Katie for quite some years now. Back in 1988-89, I spen... [read more]

Because of professional commitments, I did not get the opportunity to travel to Tenerife for covering or attending the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup this year.
It has nevertheless been an honor and a great chance for me to closely follow the world's women basketball top competition through the media and have a feedback from Women's Basketball Hall of Famer Katie Smith via the social networks during the last few days!
I have known Katie for quite some years now. Back in 1988-89, I spent a full year in Southeastern Ohio and attended class at Logan High School where Katie Smith already performed very well in sports like basketball (of course), volleyball and track. Katie, always in quest for perfection, has always been a true athlete and a role model wherever she has played sports!
As a member of the US women's senior national team, Smith helped the USA earn the gold medals in the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games as well as the 1998 and 2002 World Championships. Katie Smith's career highlights and awards include: Big Ten Player of the Year with the Ohio State Buckeyes (1996), 2 ABL titles (1997, 1998), 2 WNBA championship titles (2006, 2008), WNBA Finals MVP (2008), twice in the All-WNBA First Team (2001, 2003), 7 WNBA All-Star selections (2000-2003, 2005, 2006, 2009), WNBA scoring champion (2001), WNBA's All-Decade Team (2006), WNBA's Top 15 Players of All Time (2011). Katie Smith knows basketball for sure!
Katie Smith, the current Head Coach of the WNBA franchise New York Liberty, travelled to the Canary Islands and attended the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2018 held in San Cristobal de La Laguna last week. It all started last Friday evening when, after Team USA defeated Nigeria (71-40 as final score) despite a slow start and qualified for the Worlds' semi-finals, Katie sent me a message via Facebook. She added a nice picture of the Belgian Cats standing and singing during the national anthem before the start of the Belgium vs. France quarter-final rivalry played at the Santiago Martin Arena.
"Getting ready to watch your ladies!", she wrote.

Following some of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup action and getting Katie Smith's feedback about the FAN-tastic performance of the Belgian Cats during the last few days actually turned into a big chance and a real honor that I want to share with you too. I watched the end of the second quarter as well as the full second half of the Begian Cats' quarter-final game against Les Bleues on TV, the broadcast of Belgium's french-speaking public television with comments by sports journalist Pierre Robert and former Belgian Cats' Head Coach Daniel Goethals. There was something in the air that evening... France quickly lost the track of the game. The French squad was already 22 points behind at the break (53-31) and never looked able to react, even if in the middle of the third quarter the Belgian players showed some signs of tiredness and therefore made wrong choices in transition or in offense. Just like in the game won with a 9-point margin on a buzzer beater against Spain on Tuesday, Sep. 25th, which allowed Belgium to directly qualify for the quarter-finals in this competition, Philip Mestdagh coached perfectly well again in the game against France. He made some rotations to let some of his ladies recover and eventually secure the win (86-65) over Les Bleues. This tremendous performance allowed the Cats to play Team USA in the semis!
After the Belgium vs. France game, Katie got back to me with the following message ended with a winking face emoji:
"They played so well but not rooting for them tomorrow".
And yes indeed, the Cats had played so well!
The last three-pointer from very long range hit by the Cats' playmaker Marjorie Carpreaux (165-PG-87, agency: LBM Management) on the buzzer at the end of the game against France summarizes well how confident the Belgian women's national team has been lately. My youngest teenage son who watched and enjoyed the game with me that night shouted "Excellent!", sounding a little bit like the heroes of the good old American movie "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" -- only some air guitar and Eddie Van Halen's music were missing --, when Carpreaux sealed the final score on that three-pointer!
Belgian star Emma Meesseman (192-C-93, agency: LBM Management), about whom I had highlighted the potential she showed already back in 2013 when she joined the Washington Mystics in the WNBA (read the following article published in the former US women's basketball webzine Full Court: http://www.fullcourt.com/wnba/23146/making-sense-mystics-meesseman-mystery-pick), proved again in the game against France that she could be a candidate for the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2018 All-Star Five. It will be hard to get the tourney's MVP honor since Aussie player Elizabeth Cambage (203-C-91, Australia gave no chance to China in the quarter-final: 83-42) and US superstar Diana Taurasi (182-SG-82, college: Connecticut) have also been key players for their own teams during the whole competition!
Spain was the last team to reach the semis after getting rid of Canada 53-68 last Friday night.

On Saturday morning, the Belgian daily newspaper L'Avenir for example had a two-page coverage of the Belgian Cats' new accomplished feat and most of the national or local media suddenly decided to cover the event. How could I have ever imagined 8 years ago, when I covered the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Women at the KV Arena in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic for eurobasket.com (see https://www.eurobasket.com/World-Cup/news/204976/USA-wins-the-Gold-in-Karlovy-Vary?Women=1) and saw Team USA already being crowned, that my country's women national team would reach the semi-finals of a FIBA World Cup against the strongest team in the world one day? The USA, with their trio Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird (175-PG-80, college: Connecticut) and Tina Charles (193-C-88, college: Connecticut) still well present in the 2018 squad, beat the Czech Republic in the final championship game at the KV Arena in 2010. And playing Team USA on Saturday, Sep. 29th, 2018 at the semi-final stage of the Women's Basketball World Cup 2018 was a little bit surrealistic for the Cats indeed. Surrealistic like Belgium can truly be... For Belgian basketball observers, officials, players and fans, the USA vs. Belgium game has been perceived like a (very early and unexpected) Christmas gift. I can tell you that many friends, relatives and sport lovers I met last Saturday often talked to me about the Belgian Cats' game against Team USA. Several of them asked me what I thought about the US squad? I kept telling them: "C'est une montagne!" But honestly, I knew that the Belgian Cats would do everything to challenge their opponents in the semi-final.
A few minutes before the USA vs. Belgium game, Katie Smith posted a video of the Team USA's presentation with a note saying "Semi's about to get started... USA vs Belgium #fibawcc". We both enjoyed every second of it, either in Tenerife or in Sart-Eustache, Belgium! It felt almost unreal when, at half-time, Belgium was only one point behind Team USA (39-40). My family and friends were also watching and thrilled about the way the Begian Cats had played in the first half of the World Cup semi-final. The US players looked stressed in the first twenty minutes of the contest. The Cats remained in the race until the scoreboard showed 52-52. WNBA superstar Diana Taurasi then got on fire and hit 3 three-pointers in a row (she nailed 5 of them in the game) to show the way to her very physical American mates. The US national team of Coach Dawn Staley digged a gap in the third quarter (57-73). Nevertheless, the Cats managed to avoid a large loss. They finished tied in the last quarter (20-20) and the help of experienced Belgian center Ann Wauters (194-C-80, agency: ProDep Management) and solid plays by Kyara Linskens (189-C-96, agency: LBM Management) or Kim Mestdagh (179-SG-90, college: Colorado St., agency: ProDep Management) were much needed to reply to the Americans in that last period. The Cats' were eventually defeated 77-93 with honors and, most important of all, Team USA respected them all the way!
Katie Smith reacted again to one of my posts on Facebook and emphasized the fact that the Cats had been great challengers: "They are tough and playing so well!!!".
On the very same evening, the Australian Opals defeated Spain 72-66 and secured their spot in the World Cup final. Elizabeth Cambage combined 33 points, 15 rebounds and 4 blocks against La Roja to lead Australia to the championship game. The Cats and the Spaniards would still have one more game to play for bronze on Sunday evening while the Opals and the US national team would go for gold!

On Sunday evening, the Belgian Cats could not avoid a loss 67-60 against Alba Torrens (188-G/F-89), Marta Xargay Casademont (181-PG-90), Laia Palau (177-G-79) and their mates in another thrilling game marked by aggressiveness and physical plays. A revenge and not a remake after the qualifying game against Spain last Tuesday! In the game for third place against La Roja, Emma Meesseman displayed all her talents again but it was not enough to help the Cats win the contest. Spanish star Marta Xargay hit the last shot to fix the score in this game for bronze. I loved the way the Cats played "old school" basketball with great efficiency through the whole competition. The Belgian Cats' coach Philip Mestdagh as well as his assistants Pierre Cornia (agency: LBM Management ) and Sven Van Camp deserve a special mention too. I would also highlight the performance of Julie Allemand (173-PG-96, agency: LBM Management) during this tournament. She recorded impressive stats in assists, 13 against France last Friday, 12 against the USA and 8 against Spain. She averaged 8.2 assists per game and was the leader in assists in the tourney.
The Belgian Cats ended the competition in fourth place, with what I would call the chocolate medal around the neck. But we are talking about Belgian chocolate in this case... Since Belgium is also the country of surrealism, Belgian basketball players, staff, fans and observers should relish this fourth place and chocolate medal... Belgium is proud of their Cats and thanks them for the good moments and the Cinderella story they offered during the whole competition!
Another satisfaction: Belgian star Emma Meesseman was selected among the FIBA Women's World Cup All-Star Five together with Diana Taurasi (USA - 12.2 points, 3.7 rebounds per game, 40.7 percent shooting from three-point range), Breanna Stewart (193-F-94, college: Connecticut, USA - 16.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists per game, 47.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc), Elizabeth Cambage (Australia - 23.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.8 blocks per game) and Astou Ndour (198-C-94, agency: ProDep Management - Spain - 14.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.4 blocks per game, 45.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc). Meesseman had 18.5 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists per game in the tournament.
Without surprise, Team USA got the final victory and defended well against Cambage and her mates. In the championship game played at the Santiago Martin Arena in San Cristobal de La Laguna, Brittney Griner (203-C-90, college: Baylor) finished as top scorer with 15 pts for Team USA while Breanna Stewart also had 10 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists in the final game. The US team won therefore its third consecutive world title, also punching ticket to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and its tenth FIBA World Cup (or Championship) gold medal all-time: 1953, 1957, 1979, 1986, 1990, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2014 and 2018.
Other FIBA World Cup for Women 2018 awards: Brittney Griner was Player of the Game in the final and Breanna Stewart was MVP of the World Cup!

Ooooh yes... I almost forgot to mention that I got news from the coach of the NY Liberty again on Monday morning. She dropped me a line with her comments about the Belgian national team's run: "I travelled back to the States all day Sunday. Meesseman played phenomenal and rebounded it really well and well deserved to make Top 5 of tournament. The Cats are skilled and have a great vibe as a team. They work and do well together. Allemand is really good and think Indiana (Fever) has her rights in the WNBA." Thank you for the compliments about the Belgian Cats, Katie!

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Elena
Delle
Donne

Elena Delle Donne returns in Americans' 71-40 win - 23 days ago

The United States defeated Nigeria 71-40 in the quarterfinals of the 2018 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup. With the win, the United States is now headed to the Finals where they will have a chance to medal for the 11th consecutive World Cup, dating back to 1979 when the tournament was in Seoul, Korea. Elena Delle Donne (196-G/F-89, college: Delaware) scored seven points off the bench in 18 minutes of playing time. Breanna Stewart (193-F-94, college: Connecticut) led all American scorers... [read more]

Tina Charles

USA Fends Off France for 77-60 Exhibition Victory - 1 month ago

In its fifth and final exhibition game prior to the FIBA World Cup, the 2018 USA Basketball Women's National Team (5-0) needed nearly all four quarters to defeat host France 77-60 on Monday night in Antibes, France. With the USA leading 50-46 at the start of the fourth period, the USA outscored France 27-14 in the final 10 minutes to secure the win. 'Well, I was pleased with just being resilient out there,' said USA head coach Dawn Staley (South Carolina). 'It wasn't pretty, but we got it done, especially in this type of environment. I felt we got great contributions from a lot of different people. Diana is our staple. We got great contributions, especially at the end, from Tina Charles (193-C-88, college: Connecticut) and Brittney Griner (203-C-90, college: Baylor). But, we grinded out a win, which we needed.' Diana Taurasi (182-SG-82, college: Connecticut) (Phoenix Mercury) led the way with 16 points, six assists and five rebounds, and she was named MVP of the four-team, round-robin tournament, which saw France finish second, Canada third and Senegal in fourth place. Tina Charles (Connecticut Sun) finished with 14 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, along with 12 rebounds; Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury) added 11 points, six rebounds and three blocks; and Kelsey Plum (173-G-94, college: Washington) (Las Vegas Aces) contributed 12 points and five assists. 'It's never easy playing three games in three nights,' Taurasi said. 'But, I think we got a little bit better in every game. I think we found ourselves, both defense and offense, getting a little bit more chemistry, getting all on the same page. 'Tonight was tough. Whenever you play France, you know it is going to be hard fought. It's going to be physical. Today we did a pretty good job in spurts of handling that and working it to our advantage.' In the first quarter, neither team led by more than three points. And while the U.S. held France to just 30.4 percent from the field, it turned the ball over six times and was outrebounded by France 13-10 in the stanza. At the end of the period the score was tied, 15-15. After trading scores for the first five minutes of the second quarter, the USA compiled an 8-0 run to lead 30-21 with 1:25 to play before halftime. France, however, finished the first half with two scores, and then a steal and 3-pointer in the final seconds, and the USA led 30-27 at halftime. At the midway point, France held the advantage on the boards, 21-19, and both teams were plagued by turnovers - 13 for the USA and 12 for France, including eight of those in the second quarter. With the score tied at 34-34 at 8:12 in the third quarter, two points from Taurasi launched the USA's largest run of the night - 13 unanswered points, and the USA led 47-34 at 3:56. France responded, though, and closed with a 12-3 run of its own, closing again to four points, 50-46, headed into the fourth quarter. France put the first points of the fourth period on the board, but four points from Charles and a 3-pointer from Taurasi gave the USA some breathing room - 57-48. For the first time all night, France had no answer for the USA, which went on to win 77-60. 'I think anything that happens with us, as far as USA Basketball goes, is just on us,' Charles said. 'I don't think it is anything they did specifically. We needed to handle pressure better, needed to get open on the wings, not being careless with the ball, things like that are really important.' The 2018 FIBA World Cup in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, begins for the USA against Senegal at 1 p.m. EDT on Sept. 22, followed by China at 1 p.m. EDT on Sept. 23 and Latvia at 1 p.m. on Sept. 25. "It helps us tremendously,' Griner said of the USA's close win. 'When we get to Spain, it is just going to up from here. We have a scrimmage with Australia, and that definitely will get us even more ready.' After each team plays three preliminary round games, the second and third place teams from each of the four preliminary round groups will compete in the quarterfinal qualification games on Sept. 26, while the No. 1 teams from each group will advance directly to the Sept. 28 quarterfinals. The semifinals will be contested on Sept. 29 and the finals on Sept. 30. The USA will be in the hunt for a third-straight FIBA World Cup gold - a feat it has never before accomplished. Including four athletes who have not yet joined the USA in Europe due to competing in the WNBA Finals, the USA roster currently stands at 16 athletes. The official, 12-member roster will be announced prior to Sept. 22. The USA assistant coaches are Cheryl Reeve of the Minnesota Lynx, Jennifer Rizzotti of George Washington University and Dan Hughes, who after leading the Seattle Storm to a WNBA title, will join the team in Spain.
Courtesy of: usab.com

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