Rise above the Belgian competition? Kangaroos women won every match this season: “Now we want the EuroCup”

Three doubles in a row and an undefeated season in Belgium: the women of Mechelen once again emphasized their dominance in their own country last weekend. With a strong youth academy, the future also seems assured. Has Kangaroos outgrown the Belgian competition? “It will be fairly predictable again next year,” the competition is already saying.

“Now we want to win the EuroCup.”

The words of chairman Luc Katra are indicative of the ambition of Kangaroos Mechelen. Because what challenge is there for a club that won all its matches in Belgium this season and won the double for the 3rd year in a row?

“Everyone laughs when I say that, but we have already had a great European campaign this season,” Katra emphasizes at Sporza.

Everyone laughs when I say that, but we want to win the EuroCup.

Kangaroos chairman Luc Katra

Kangaroos placed their foot in a tough group next to top clubs such as Besiktas and Panathinaikos. Against Besiktas, ultimately losing finalist of the EuroCup, they even won in front of their own audience. And that makes Chairman Katra dream.

“Last year in the EuroLeague we didn’t do a bad job either. What we showed this season in the EuroCup was perhaps a bit unexpected, although that’s what you hope for.”

An ambitious club like Mechelen also needs Europe. “The Belgian competition is not highly regarded. We are obliged to play European games, so that our foreigners can play matches against strong opponents.”

Winning a title and cup, that was the ambition. But not losing a single match, that is unique.

Luc Katra

In their own country, Kangaroos actually only has competition from Castors and Namur, although these two Walloon clubs were never able to make a fist against Mechelen’s superior power this season.

“Our ambition was to win the title and the cup again. But not losing a single match, that is unique,” says Katra, with pride. And so the team is mainly looking for a challenge in Europe, perhaps again in the EuroCup. “Because the budgets for the EuroLeague make you fall behind.”

This season, Kangaroos was forced to move to Antwerp due to indoor troubles. A solution may be found for this. “There is a good chance that we will play European games elsewhere in Mechelen. We are now investigating that option, together with the city.”

The architect of the Mechelen success is Arvid Diels. “His contribution is very large. He is the best coach there is,” says Luc Katra plainly. Diels also receives praise from his chairman for the way he integrates young talents into the first team.

“That youth project is our great strength,” Diels says. “If we have to deal with injuries, we can always count on a new, healthy supply from our own youth team. These are the transfers that make us strongest.”

The fact that Kangaroos is also unapproachable among the youth recently became clear during the final weekend of the Cup of Flanders. At U14, U16 and U19 the trophy went to the Mechelen youngsters. “I think we have already secured our future with this,” Diels notes delicately.

We sometimes receive criticism because the youth are already about winning. But we are all about creating “winning habits”.

coach Arvid Diels

The coach emphasizes the importance of such finals for the development of young talents. “Sometimes we get criticized because it’s all about winning. But for us it’s about creating winning habits. The players have to get used to playing finals.”

“To give a concrete example: we played the semi-finals of the play-offs in Boom. But a week earlier, many of those young girls had already played those finals there. Then they know it there and they know how such a match it goes.”

“At training it is also perfectly possible for us to have a warm-up of, say, U14s run at the same time as the first team. That can sometimes be enough to give those girls a certain incentive. Our organization is there and then that is easier. And flow is there anyway.”

That undefeated streak has never really been discussed by us.

Arvid Diels

A strong team and high-quality youth work: the ingredients seem to be there to remain dominant in the coming years. But how do you keep a team that has already won everything sharp?

“We make good agreements with each player about why they come to us. That is not just about winning, but there is also individual progression behind it for many players. On the other hand, there is also that European story. After this season, everyone knows how close we are. were in the EuroCup.”

Diels does not think it is a problem that there may be too little challenge in Belgium. “Look at Prague. There the difference with the other teams in the Czech Republic is even bigger. But every season they are fresh and healthy in the Final 4 of the EuroLeague.”

With Prague, Diels mentions a club that remained undefeated in its own competition for no less than 12 years: they recently lost again after 301 victories in a row. An example? “We haven’t actually talked about that undefeated series at all. In retrospect that is nice, but we mainly try to work in the moment. Whether we will last as long as Prague? I have no idea.”

With a core that largely remains together and a youth organization that wholesales young talents, we already seem to be able to write down Kangaroos for a new double. But how healthy is such dominance by one club for Belgian women’s basketball?

“Not that healthy and a bit boring,” is the down-to-earth answer from Frederic Claessens. He is the father of Belgian Cat Nastja and coach of Waregem, a sub-topper in the Top Division Women. Claessens sees competition at different speeds.

“You have the teams like Kangaroos, Castors and Namur that also play in Europe and can strengthen themselves with foreign players. Then you have the middle bracket and the tail teams, where the middle bracket may be becoming a little wider.”

The level of the Belgian competition is declining year after year because more youth are playing.

Waregem coach Frederic Claessens

At Claessens’ Waregem the focus is on youth, with an average age of 19 years. “If you play against a team with 5 foreigners, the difference is very big. Although it is nice for our youth that they can play against such teams.”

Still, Claessens is concerned. “The level of the Belgian competition is declining year after year, because more youth are playing. This way you ultimately get a refined youth competition. There should be more teams that have the resources to play in Europe.”

A mix between more top clubs on the one hand and teams where youth can gain experience on the other: that is the ideal picture. “In this way you can systematically raise the level of the competition. But that is a difficult story. And you always end up with the same problem: budget.”

It is very difficult to get sponsors interested in Belgian women’s basketball, despite the success of the Belgian Cats.

Frederic Claessens

Finding money for women’s basketball in Belgium is not an easy task. “We are a small country. It is very difficult to get sponsors interested in Belgian women’s basketball. Despite the success of the Belgian Cats, that remains a very difficult story,” sighs Claessens.

“Some hope that some Cats will return to Belgium after their foreign career. But will you spend your last days in a much inferior competition? With one exception, I don’t actually see that happening.”

“The federation wants more breadth in youth work. Now this is mainly concentrated at a few clubs. But then you also jeopardize the investments of the current clubs with a strong youth work. There are always an advantage and a disadvantage. I think there are “A lot of water still has to flow to the sea before we find something to raise the level of the Belgian competition.”

And so the hegemony of Kangaroos does not seem to be over immediately. “I think that we will indeed have a relatively predictable competition again next season,” concludes Claessens.

Then a bit of Prague in Mechelen?