The former Washington Mystics General Manager and Head Coach replaces Rachid Meziane, who was recently named the new head coach of the Connecticut Sun.
On Monday, Basketball Belgium named Mike Thibault the head coach of the Belgium women’s national team. The former Washington Mystics General Manager (2013-24) and Head Coach (2013-22) replaces Rachid Meziane, who became the Connecticut Sun head coach. Ultimately, Meziane could not remain the Cats’ head coach because the WNBA season overlaps with Women’s EuroBasket which happens midseason. With Thibault no longer in the WNBA, this is a good landing spot for him.
Thibault will start coaching the Cats for their final EuroBasket window in February, Women’s EuroBasket this summer where they will defend their Gold Medal, as well as the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup and 2028 Olympics if Belgium qualifies for them.
Here is what Cats General Manager Koen Umans said about Thibault. The quote was originally in Dutch:
Mike Thibault is a fantastic coach and he has a profile that is completely in line with what we had in mind. He has proven in his career that he is a real winner and he is a coach who can give a team that extra push. He has tons of experience at the highest level and has excellent management qualities. He also fits perfectly into our current culture and structure and we are therefore extremely proud and enthusiastic that coach Thibault has chosen this challenge with the Cats. He signs a contract that keeps him with us from the next window with matches against Azerbaijan and Lithuania until the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Thibault has expressed his desire to work with former Mystics forward Emma Meesseman again in the last several years, though in a coy way, and with her returning to Washington. But with him no longer with the Mystics, Thibault is actually getting to work with Meesseman again on the national team she has led for nearly a decade.
Basketball Belgium also had a quote from Thibault, which was originally in Dutch from the release:
I am honored to be the Cats head coach. The enormous growth of this team is recognized and respected worldwide and I was privileged to be able to experience this up close. This is a team whose key players are at the peak of their career and I look forward to playing for awards in the coming years. I will do everything I can to get the most out of this special group. I would like to thank Basketball Belgium for the trust and I am ready to go to work!
In addition to Meesseman, Thibault has now-Golden State Valkyries guard Julie Vanloo and former WNBA guard Julie Allemand to work with. While I won’t be writing much about the Cats anymore until they play Team USA, I’m happy for Belgium that they now quite possibly have their dream coach.
According to Christophe Vandegoor of Sporza, Thibault will be introduced to the media as head coach on Friday. Vandegoor’s article also implied that Meesseman was the “heart of the Mystics and basically their most important player” during the 2019 WNBA season, something I agree with, but that’s water under the bridge, and another topic entirely.
To conclude:
- Proficiat, Coach Thibault! Wij zijn trots op jou! Veel succes, behalve tegen de Verenigde Staten!
- Félicitations, Coach Thibault ! Nous sommes fiers de toi ! Bonne chance, sauf contre les États-Unis !
- Congratulations, Coach Thibault! We are proud of you! Good luck, except when the Cats play Team USA!