Why the Connecticut Sun may have just won the WNBA coaching carousel with Rachid Meziane

The former Belgian national team head coach's move to the United States is one that will send shockwaves through women's basketball globally.

After a brief lull in the WNBA coaching carousel, the Connecticut Sun made their move by hiring Rachid Meziane. It may not be a name known to many American women’s basketball fans but it might be one of the most interesting and, on paper, best hires of the 2024 cycle. Let’s dive into why and what comes next…

Who is Rachid Meziane?

The 44 year old from Clermont-Ferrand coaches Villeneuve-d’Ascq (or ESBVA) in Ligue Feminine, the top French women’s basketball league in the country. Historically, it’s never been one of the most successful teams within LF and on the European stage. But in 2023, the fruits of Meziane’s turnaround started to show. Villeneuve finished second in the French league, falling to ASVEL Lyon in the Finals. One year later, they returned to the championship and won while making it to the Euroleague Final as well (they would lose to Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahce).

While a hallmark of European club success typically hinges on either elite domestic players or Americans playing during the WNBA offseason, Meziane’s roster construction wasn’t what won them a title. His two top players, Carla Leite and Maia Hirsch, are draft-and-stash players for the Dallas Wings and Minnesota Lynx, respectively. His ability to scout players is what sets him apart even dating back to early in his career in Ligue Feminine.

At the international level, Meziane’s work speaks for itself. He’s coached the Belgian national team since November 2022. Emma Meeseman, widely regarded in Euro circles as the best player in the world not currently in the WNBA, has been his centerpiece as the ‘Cats’ won the 2023 EuroBasket, nearly beat the United States (81-79) in Olympic qualifying and finished 4th in the 2024 Olympics. That Eurobasket title was the first in Belgium’s history and their matchup against Team USA in Antwerp was the largest crowd for a Belgian women’s basketball game ever. The finish in Paris was a bit of a disappointment for the Belgians, who were considered a contender to medal, but it is worth noting that they lost in overtime to host country France in the semifinal before falling to Australia in the Bronze medal game.

I sent out some texts this morning to some contacts over in Europe to get a better idea of Coach Meziane. Here is what I got back from a fellow coach for another Ligue Feminine club…

I think it's a very good hire for the Sun because Rachid has a lot of experience in coaching. Of course WNBA is different but I know Rachid, he's a hard worker, great mentality, ready to face any challenge.

His playing style is very open, he let some freedom to his players so he likes players with aggressiveness on both hands of the floor. He asks for physicality and effort. He's been succesful with players that were tough mentally, which is the reason why I think it's a great hire considering the Sun roster.

Plus Rachid is a great human being, very humble, he's smart so he'll adjust to the W pretty quick I think.

Not a bad endorsement…

What his hire means for the Connecticut Sun…

This is a fascinating hire for the Sun on a number of fronts. First and foremost, it shows that they are serious about continuing to be a contender. Anyone following international basketball knows how prolific the Belgians have been in the last couple of years with Meziane at the helm. I’m curious if any of his assistants join him from either Belgium or ESBVA. He plays an extremely fun style and the idea of Emma Meeseman, however slim, coming back to the WNBA is a really enjoyable one.

But do you remember reading a bit further up about Meziane’s ability to scout within the French league and coach up talent as opposed to being given immense talent to work with? That’s what I’ll wager the Sun were most interested in. Let’s be honest here: Uncasville, or even Boston for that matter, isn’t a free agent destination. This is not a franchise that has shown any inclination to spend a ton of money. Hell, they were under fire this year because of their lack of practice facilities and the borderline farcical ways they tried to make that work in the playoffs. To win, Connecticut has relied on scouting, coaching and development.

They drafted Alyssa Thomas and Jonquel Jones, traded for DeWanna Bonner and players like Ty Harris. This past season, DiJonai Carrington made a leap as one of the best defensive guards in the WNBA. It’s always been about growth from within. There aren’t many coaches in the world better at that than Meziane. If the team decides to turn the page this season with the Thomas/Bonner tandem (both could be upcoming free agents) then you’re going to need someone to play a bit of moneyball. Meziane is more than capable of doing that.

So how do you grade the hire?

A+.

Don’t overthink it and don’t fear what you don’t yet know. Ultimately, we’re never really sure that a hire is going to 100% work out. But on paper, this is about as good a hire as you can get. Meziane is going to be able build out a team the way he has in the French league. I’d be curious if Connecticut now tries to commit to a full-on rebuild and potentially work out a trade to get back into the first round of this draft.

He can coach big personalities and high-level talent. It’s been proven at the club and international level at this point and he’s young and dynamic enough that he could be in the W for a long time if everything pans out.

There’s still plenty to wonder about in terms of Mohegan Sun’s ownership of the franchise. The facilities thing is a partial joke but also a major hindrance especially as other clubs start to invest major capital. The Uncasville location is coming under scrutiny especially in light of the success of their games in Boston. But, even for a little bit of time, they found a coach that is very likely to maintain the standard of success the franchise has enjoyed over the last decade. Will he be the one to finally take them to the mountaintop? That remains to be seen.