BEL - Goethals challenges Belgium to give everything they have at U17 Women

TOULOUSE (2010 FIBA U17 World Championship for Women) - Former Belgium international player and head coach of the country's U17 women's team Daniel Goethals is an outgoing, touching and likable man.

He is also a very passionate person when it comes to basketball. He lives for - as well as through - his team. Standing 206cm tall, he inspires respect both as a man and as a coach.

Additionally, he is always a good person to talk to if in need of an interesting sound bite and he has featured regularly and extensively in our Quotes of the Day.

FIBA.com caught up with Goethals for an in-depth interview.

FIBA: You must be proud to see a small country like Belgium, silver medalists at last year's U16 European Championship, doing so well in the inaugural FIBA U17 World Championship.
Goethals: Yes, but very often it's not enough. When you have the abilities that these girls have and that you fall short of making it in the history books, it's not enough. Maybe we could have organised and planned our preparations differently. We beat China and Australia and we can say that we've done well. I just hope that we won't pay the price in the quarter-finals. We made the most of the day off on Monday to take a break, walk along the canal, watch some video footage and had some team building activities which is something that is crucial for my group. I'm lucky t have a very smart and intelligent group who understand what I try to get across to them.

FIBA: You seem like a different team in the last two or three games. Did you change the group's dynamics? If so, in what way?
Goethals: After the game against Argentina, I had a team meeting and I was very hard with all of the girls, even Emma (Meesseman) to whom I never have anything to say. I told her she had to make her presence felt and justify her MVP award and clutch player status from last year's U16 European Championship. But everyone got criticism because we're a group. Our staff gives everything they have to ensure the players are as ready as they can be. In return, I ask for total respect between all members of our team. I will never give preferential treatment to a player, regardless of how good she is. I also was very honest and blunt with Julie (Vanloo, the team captain). I can tell you that if I were a player and someone talked to me the way I talked to her, I would have got up and punched the coach. But it set her off - in a good way. Even though it was tough, she knew that I was right. As a coach, sometimes you have to be tough and get your players fired up.

FIBA: You have one of the youngest teams here. What was your selection process? Does age count for anything?
Goethals: Age doesn't matter. What I want first and foremost is a player who wants to be part of something special, a mission or an adventure. Liza Biebuyck is not playing for us right now but I know what she's worth. I see her as a role player capable of making shots when we need those. I like to remind all of my players that whatever happens they are very lucky to be here. I have one of my players who was involved in a serious car accident 10 days before the tournament started. We hope that one day she will be able to play basketball again. I try to go along the lines of that event to find emotions that will get my players to understand that there are many tough things in life outside of basketball. It's all relative and you have to keep things in perspective. Basketball is a sport, a game.

FIBA: The current social and political climate in Belgium is somewhat tense. Do you see yourself as being on a mission to send out any kind of a message? Are the tensions in the country at all existent on the team?
Goethals: That is a very important point and I'm glad you brought it up. I played basketball for 16 years on the Belgium national side and I don't know of many sports where you can feel represented by your national team. My assistant coach and my team manager speak Dutch while the physiotherapist speaks French. I have taken private classes to improve my Dutch as a lot of my best friends are Dutch. The only thing I am interested in is to represent Belgium and fly the black, yellow and red flag. It saddens me to see that unity within the country only occurs for sporting events. I wrote on the board in the locker room 'only one team'. I communicate in English, Dutch or French. It's a matter of making the effort. Efforts by everyone and for everyone. My colleagues also make the effort to speak French. That is what unites us.

FIBA/LOC