There were a lot of vacancies on the WNBA benches, but they are gradually finding takers. And the Connecticut Sun surprises by having decided to hire Rachid Méziane comme « head coach » !
The Frenchman thus recovers a team which remains on eight consecutive qualifications in the playoffs. AroundAlyssa Thomasthe club thus reached the Finals in 2022, and although it has never won the title, it is a strong place in the Eastern Conference, with the last two playoff campaigns ending in the semi-finals.
For the last two years, Stephanie White led the team, but she took over as manager of the Fever.
The second French WNBA coach
At 44, Rachid Méziane says he “very excited to join the best league in the world”. He will leave his position as head coach of Villeneuve d’Ascq on January 1, 2025, after five years at the head of the club. He leaves the North with a French championship title (2024) and a Euroleague final, lost to Fenerbahce.
Former assistant to Valérie Garnier with Les Bleues, between 2014 and 2021, he then became coach of the “Belgian Cats”, the Belgian national team, with a European title up for grabs in 2023.
Rachid Méziane therefore becomes the second Frenchman to lead a WNBA franchise, after James Wade2021 champion at the helm of Kahleah Copper’s Chicago Sky. But the latter is of American origin, having been naturalized by marriage, following his union with Edwige Lawson.
Belgium
