clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Emma Meesseman and Belgium win the EuroBasket Women bronze medal after 78-45 win over Greece

Emma Meesseman’s Belgian national squad pulled off what most people thought would be impossible. Overall, they had quarterfinal aspirations. But now, they are on the podium as the third best team in Europe! The Belgians beat Greece, 78-45 on Sunday afternoon.

This is a history making performance for Belgium. Not just because they qualified for their first World Cup next year and have a shot at an Olympic berth. This is also because this is Belgium’s best performance ever in EuroBasket. Very few saw this coming!

King Filip already gave his congratulations (in Dutch):

I think this has been on Meesseman’s mind for a while.

This could have been a one woman show, but it was not.

This is such a special accomplishment, I hope Mystics fans can appreciate it. Winning is winning. This Belgian Cats team really embodies what works for a defensive minded team. Chill factor ten. We all love players that emote.

But what if they don’t and they pull off come-back after come-back? And have the second highest efficiency rating in the tournament by Emma Meesseman. I can assure you that she did not have an EDD like teammate on the Cats.

The Cats just have something else.

While Meesseman has been away, gelling with her national team, this was a golden opportunity for Elena Delle Donne and Tayler Hill to get acquainted. I thought they would have nine wins by July. They are two short and playing the Sky in just a couple hours as of the time of this post

I really hope that the Mystics watched these games.

I have to say again that Marjorie Capreaux, Kim Mestdagh and Ann Wauters seem to bring out the best in Emma Meesseman.

Let me be clear. I would love to see Kim Mestdagh get at least a tryout with the Mystics. There was a lot to like from the 27 year old. Quickness, toughness, shots.

But we could have seen highlights from Marjorie Capreaux during this tournament for days.

She was so fun to watch. This whole team was. The Cats need more size and experience. But they have young players that could help with one of those two things. Now, they have a year to figure it out.

...

But kudos to Emma!