ANTWERP (Belgium) - Having delivered a glorious and historic first FIBA Women's EuroBasket title last year, Belgium coach Rachid Meziane is out to break more new ground with the Cats.

He will lead his side in Antwerp for the FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament looking to capitalize on what will be the largest crowd Belgium have ever played in front of when more than 10,000 supporters prepare to see them go up against USA.

Meziane led the Cats to their greatest ever moment last year

Not surprisingly, it is a prospect that is motivating Meziane immensely - as he explained in an interview with Basket Europe.com

He said: "We are following the ticket sales closely. We already felt a strong enthusiasm when we came to celebrate the [FIBA Women's EuroBasket] title at the Grand Place in Brussels. They managed to capitalize on that momentum and allowed us to play in an exceptional venue.

"Yes, there is the record against the United States on Thursday, but there will also be very large crowds on the following days against Nigeria and Senegal. We are already talking about a 70 percent capacity in a large arena, meaning more than 10,000 people. This will be the first time I will experience an event with such a large crowd behind me.

The head coach is looking forward to competing in front of record-breaking crowds in Antwerp

"At the FIBA Basktball World Cup in Sydney, for the Final between the United States and China and the third-place playoff between Australia and Canada, there were 12-13,000 people. It was impressive.

"Having a crowd behind you will make the event even more unique. There's excitement, but we must not be mistaken. We must live in the moment, but also perform because the main objective is to qualify the team for the Olympics."

If Meziane is successful in his quest, he will debut at the Games as a head coach in what would be Belgium's second ever appearance. The experience for the playcaller would be made even more special since the Olympics will see games played in his homeland of France and specifically in Lille, the location of his EuroLeague Women side Villeneuve d'Ascq LM, who he has also taken to historical heights.

Meziane made history by taking Villeneuve d'Ascq LM to the Quarter-Finals of EuroLeague Women

He recently led them to their maiden Quarter-Finals ticket and in working on a daily basis at the club, he is gradually seeing and feeling the Olympic flavor strengthening around him.

He stated: "There are a lot of people involved with the infrastructure, meetings being organized. We feel an Olympic spirit settling in. However, it's not as intense as it will be during the Games.

"I think our results are also interesting because we are putting Villeneuve d'Ascq on the map, where the Games will be held. People make a connection, but we make a distinction with what we have to do with Villeneuve.

"THE MOTIVATING FACTOR WAS THINKING THAT I COULDN'T MISS OUT ON COMPETING IN THE OLYMPICS IN MY HOME COUNTRY, FRANCE." - Meziane

"The Olympic village in Villeneuve d'Ascq for the first part of the basketball tournaments is 300 meters from the Palacium, and we can see things evolving around us, new buildings being erected."

"It's what has motivated me after the adventure with the French team to continue, the prospect of the 2024 Olympics. First as Valery Demory's assistant when I joined the Belgian national team, and then history made me become the coach," continued Meziane.

"The motivating factor was thinking that I couldn't miss out on competing in the Olympics in my home country, France, after having been to Rio and Tokyo. There's excitement, but then I learned from the Belgian people, who may have a different mindset, to do things in order.

"We don't talk about the Olympics, we respond to questions, to needs, like if we want to be in the village or not, but it's still a slightly different mentality. I'm learning to adapt. We'll take things match by match. Belgium is not yet qualified," he concluded.

FIBA