Coach Pascal Meurs

13/10/2026

Valencia–Olympiacos tonight.

Short, structured shifts or longer stretches? The real coaching question is how those choices fit your players and playing identity.

My latest article: Two Ways to Manage 40 Minutes.

Full article:
https://pascalmeurs.com/euroleague-rotation-patterns-two-philosophies/

07/10/2026

in Valencia, Spain 🇪🇸

05/10/2026

A national-team jersey tells us which country a player represents.
It doesn’t necessarily tell us where that player spends the rest of the year learning the game.

That made me curious. I traced the players from this summer’s U16 and U18 FIBA European Championships — Divisions A and B — back to their clubs.

The ranking produced some interesting results. But also an important distinction.
Where a player plays today is not necessarily where he was developed.
Players move. Clubs recruit. Development takes years.

So this isn’t a ranking of Europe’s “best” youth programmes. It is a snapshot of where Europe’s top young internationals are currently playing — and it raises some interesting questions about how and where talent is developed.

Full analysis:

I traced Europe’s U16 and U18 internationals back to their clubs. Which clubs are developing talent across borders — and why does Spain keep appearing?

24/09/2026

The EuroLeague tips off tonight.

One trend that stood out in the Super Cups: forwards as rim runners in transition.

Jantunen. Kraag. Abalde.
Running the middle and flowing into the ball screen — a role traditionally reserved for the 5.

Another step towards positionless basketball?

22/09/2026

As three-point volume and efficiency continue to shape the game, how teams defend those shots deserves a closer look.

Valencia’s approach aims to contest without jumping or fouling, while also making it harder for the shooter to follow their own miss.

I broke down their “Perfect Wall” close-outs in my latest article:

21/09/2026

With the European season getting underway, the Supercups offered an early look at what top teams have been working on. One detail caught my eye during Valencia Basket’s game against Barça.

In a timeout in the final minute, Xavi Albert asked for a “perfect wall” on a possible last shot. It was a reminder of something Valencia had been doing throughout the game: closing out on shooters with a wide base, feet on the floor and both hands high.

As three-point volume and efficiency continue to shape the game, how teams defend those attempts deserves a closer look. Valencia’s approach aims to contest the shot without jumping or fouling, while making it harder for the shooter to follow their own rebound.

By my count, Barça made 3 of 10 three-pointers against these close-outs, compared with 7 of 16 on their other attempts. Far too small a sample to draw conclusions, but an interesting detail to follow.

I broke it down in the short video below. Watch until the end: the same “perfect wall” Albert asks for in the timeout was already taking shape on the practice floor.

I’ll be analysing how other top teams approach these close-outs as the season unfolds. More breakdowns to come — I’ll keep you posted on my platforms.

18/09/2026

Video session at EuroProBasket !

17/09/2026

The worst feeling after a loss?
Knowing you didn’t try anything.

Fribourg had been trailing for almost the entire game in the Basketball Champions League qualifiers. Coming out of a timeout, they came up with a defensive special play.

The ex*****on was very mediocre.
But it worked.

Not necessarily because the defense itself was perfect, but because the change disrupted the opponent’s rhythm, confidence and ATO plan.

Fribourg gave themselves a shot at winning the game. Which wouldn't have happened without trying anything.

These very early BCL qualifiers add an interesting layer to coaching.

It’s September. Teams are still building their identity and simply cannot be prepared for everything yet.

We saw the same thing with Batumi, playing zone defense for large parts of their game and forcing the opponent to find solutions they probably hadn’t spent much time preparing.

Sometimes, especially this early in the season, the surprise itself has value.

It might not work.

But when the game is slipping away, doing nothing rarely changes it.

14/09/2026

Grote basketballanden worden niet alleen gekenmerkt door wat er op het veld gebeurt, maar ook door het basketbal-IQ van de neutrale toeschouwer.

De Belgian Cats hebben duizenden mensen geleerd om van basketbal te houden.

Misschien ligt daar nu de volgende opportuniteit: hen ook beter naar basketbal leren kijken.

Want “Duitsland verdedigde sterk” is een analyse. Maar de interessante vraag begint pas bij: waarom?

Ik werkte mijn bedenking van afgelopen weekend verder uit, inclusief enkele concrete voorbeelden uit de kwartfinale 👇

De Belgian Cats hebben duizenden Belgen geleerd om van basketbal te houden. Misschien is de volgende stap om hen ook beter naar het spel te leren kijken. Een bedenking bij de verslaggeving tijdens het WK — en waarom goede basketbalanalyse helemaal niet ingewikkeld hoeft te zijn.

05/09/2026

A smaller talent pool is a disadvantage.
It is, at least partly, a numbers game. Countries with a bigger population simply have more potential players to choose from.

But a smaller theoretical talent pool should never give you smaller ambitions.
That might be my biggest takeaway from this summer’s Youth EuroBaskets.

And once you start looking beyond the medals, another question appears: where is all that European talent actually playing and developing?

I tried to map that in my latest article.

https://pascalmeurs.com/small-nations-european-youth-basketball/