Mestdagh pride at duelling daughters
BRAINE-L’ALLEUD (EuroCup Women 2017) – It’s a real family affair in EuroCup Women 2017 for Mithra Castors Braine head coach Phillip Mestdagh.
BRAINE-L’ALLEUD (EuroCup Women 2017) – It’s a real family affair in EuroCup Women 2017 for Mithra Castors Braine head coach Phillip Mestdagh, with the play-caller having been left gushing with pride after watching his daughters go head-to-head in the all-important Qualifiers last week.
Set to take his own team into the Regular Season, Mestdagh will be joined by one of his offspring in the next phase of the competition – with Kim and Hanne set to play in the second-leg game between Flammes Carolo Basket and Eisvogel USC Freiburg.
Last Thursday, Mestdagh was delighted to see both of his daughters top-scoring for their respective sides in the opening clash of the Qualifiers, with Hanne registering 13 points for tournament newcomers Eisvogel who went down to their French visitors 71-64 and mainly because of a game-high tally of 25 points from Kim.
The prospect of seeing one progress and the other bow out of this season’s EuroCup Women is something that Mestdagh is ready to handle. After all, he is used to having to separate his primary role as their father from the one which has seen him coach them at various levels – including in his capacity as head coach of the Belgium senior national team.
Interestingly he revealed that fate has ensured that the intense competition between them has generally manifested itself more in the garden and driveway of the Mestdagh household, rather than in club competition - or at least up until now.
"Both started playing basketball at the very moment we started a youth basketball centre in Ieper – one where we also had the likes of Emma Meesseman, Jasmina Rosseel and Julie Vanloo," explained Coach Mestdagh.
Eisvögel ❄️ vs Flammes 🔥 pic.twitter.com/9Qr9t4SvXU
— Hanne Mestdagh (@HanneMestdagh) October 6, 2016
"The moment they could play together in the senior team of Ieper, Kim actually left Belgium to move on to the States at Colorado State University. Then some three years later, Hanne followed Kim to CSU.
"They have only really played together on the senior national team with Belgium and I have never had any problems in coaching them. They understand basketball very well, they know what they can and what they can’t do. Having that understanding of their role makes them very coachable.
"Both are talented, hard workers and winners and while the progress of Hanne was delayed a bit because of three ACL injuries, she is really fighting back.
"Luckily there is that three years difference between them, meaning they have not met each other a lot of times in practices down the years. That’s because when they play each other at home in shooting contests and one-on-one, there is always a winner and a loser.
My sister @MestdaghKim is new on twitter 🎉 be nice and give her a follow... she needs it 😉
— Hanne Mestdagh (@HanneMestdagh) October 7, 2016
"And then of course, you always have that possibility it will lead to them arguing or fighting with each other," laughed Mestdagh.
As for the players themselves, any potential squabbling when they are together at home is more than put into context by the love and respect they have for each other - even if Kim confessed it was all about getting the result for Carolo Basket.
"It was with mixed feelings that I played against Hanne," she mused after her team’s success on the road in Germany.
"I want to win very badly, but at the same time, I want her to do well."
There was a similar sentiment echoed by Hanne who added, "I love to see my sister play well, but of course not so well against us.
"It wasn’t an easy game, but after a nervous beginning, we came back strong and I’m excited to now play in France."
Both sisters will do it all again on Wednesday night in Charleville-Mezieres, with one of the teams getting to punch their ticket to the EuroCup Women 2017 Regular Season.
FIBA