Kaela Chapdelaine always made her presence felt for the Oregon women’s basketball team.
She did a little bit of everything, whether it was scoring, rebounding, making assists and much more. She completed her five-year stay in Eugene after last season ended and has since returned to her native Canada as she prepares to begin her professional basketball career.
Chapdelaine signed with French agent Sebastien Dekeirel and recently she signed with Nantes-Reze 44 of the French league. She is also looking ahead to tryouts with the Canadian National Team, who fell short of the Beijing Olympics, and instead will be playing in tournaments this summer in France (Canada, France, Belarus and Poland) and Slovakia (Slovak Republic, Canada, Italy and Germany). Canada is also playing two exhibition games versus Mali.
In a telephone interview with the Daily Emerald, Chapdelaine reflected on her time in Eugene and looked ahead to what her future holds.
Daily Emerald: What led you to France?
Kaela Chapdelaine: A French agent contacted me after the season and there was some interest from some American people as well. I didn’t really interview the agents, but I asked them a few questions and tried to get to know as many of them as possible. I just felt most comfortable with the agent (Dekeirel) who I have now.
ODE: Know any French?
KC: Yeah. I was born in Montreal and my father is French-Canadian. Chapdelaine is a French-Canadian name. I lived out in Quebec for about 10 years of my life. My dad’s side of the family is French, so if ever we wanted to speak to a relative we had to speak in French. I actually did my freshman year of high school at a French school in Quebec for basketball so I’m fluent.
ODE: How long of a season is it with your new team?
KC: I believe the season starts at the end of September, early October and my contract goes through the end of April, so I’m assuming that’s when league play finishes and if we go onto playoffs there’s an extension of the contract into May.
ODE: What do you know about Nantes-Reze 44?
KC: I know that they’re just going into the French league this year. They were in a different league. They’re moving up into the French league, which is a Division I league.
ODE: What’s it like going from being one of the oldest players to being a rookie again?
KC: It’s kind of something like coming full circle. I’m going to be kind of like a freshman again. However, I’ve played with the national team at the international level so I will be familiar with the rules: the 24-second shot clock, 8-second half court rule, wider key, the three-point line’s a little further away.
ODE: What kind of fan following do they have? Do they have a passionate fan base?
KC: It looks like it. When I looked on the (team) Web site, they had a lot of messages to the fans. It’s a smaller city. When I looked online, I think it’s three quarters of a million people. There’s the women’s team. There’s also a men’s pro basketball team and a soccer team. I believe those are the only sports teams in the city so I would hope there’s a good following. My experience of playing in Europe is that there have always been great fans. Europeans definitely love sports and love women’s athletics as well.
ODE: Is your style of play more suited to Europe than say the WNBA?
KC: I do think so. The international level of play is a little more physical and I welcome that. I’m a bigger guard. I like to muscle my way whereas in the WNBA they’re so athletic, quick. I think of someone like (former Duck) Brandi Davis when I think of the WNBA. I’m not that superior athlete and I’m not that flashy, really entertaining player in that sense. I don’t have all the tricks and moves, which a lot of those girls are just so fantastic and they have those. I’m more of the fundamental player, do the dirty work. I’ll make the shots when they need to be made and I’ll play defense so I think going over to Europe will be a good step. I’m not going to ex-out the WNBA. If that opportunity ever came up, I would gladly welcome it and try it out. But I think for right now in my life and in my career Europe is definitely the right move to go.
ODE: Did you have any WNBA tryouts before signing with Nantes-Reze 44?
KC: No, I didn’t. I didn’t put my name in the draft and I wasn’t contacted by anyone. With the WNBA, they look a lot at statistics and scoring and contribution that way. When you look at my stats, I’m more of the kind of good at everything but not great at the one thing. I feel like in the WNBA those players are a lot more specialized. Whereas in Europe, I’ll be playing a combo guard, one and two. They like the versatility, especially for an import. They like the players that can be put around in different places, not necessarily specialized.
ODE: How have you spent your time off since finishing your final season with Oregon?
KC: I’m going through spring training like the girls would at Oregon. I lift three times a week. I’ve been playing with the college boys team in town here. I’ve gotten together with (Canadian National Team coaches) Mike and Allison (McNeill) twice a week and some of the other national team members. Just taking care of myself, making sure I’m getting strong to make sure that I won’t be injured and make sure I’m fit and putting the ball in the hoop, just trying to expand my game and all that good stuff.
ODE: Does it feel weird no longer being in Eugene? Miss it?
KC: It was really hard when I moved back here (to Canada). I’ve moved so much in my life that living in Eugene was the longest I’ve stayed in one city, which is kind of hard to believe maybe, but I spent five years of my life there and they were a great five years. I was part of something very special with the Oregon women’s basketball program. It’s part of a community that gave back to us. It’s so unique. There’s no place like Eugene in the world. I really cherished all my moments there and it was hard definitely and I miss it and I felt homesick from Eugene for sure, but luckily it’s only a 6-7 hour drive down the I-5. I’ll definitely be coming back to visit and see some games next year if and when I get a chance.
ODE: With Canada not playing in the Beijing Olympics this summer, what’s the team doing this summer?
KC: We’re actually going to France … which is going to be great, ’cause then I can get a little taste of what it’s going to be like next year and we’re also going to play in Slovakia.
ODE: You’ve seen the international competition. What do you think of ex-teammate Micaela Cocks’ and New Zealand’s chances of winning a medal?
KC: It’s tough. New Zealand – from talking to her, and their preparation to go to the Olympics – they’ve been training really, really hard and they’ve actually been playing well. They had a tournament out in China earlier in the spring. She was out there. It’s a grind. You play in these tournaments in a limited amount of days so it’s very difficult and you’re playing the best basketball (teams) in the world. These are the best players at the Olympics. I think it’s always up in the air. It’s kind of like the NCAA Tournament. It’s anybody’s to win. There could be a Cinderella story where New Zealand comes out on top or it could happen where the traditional powerhouses come out on top.
ODE: How much is the addition of Jillian Harmon (Stanford) going to help them?
KC: I think it’s going to help them a lot. She’s a nice sized player for a wing. She’s very versatile. She’s a phenomenal player. There’s not enough good things to be said about her game and even the person she is. She’s going to bring a lot of character and leadership to that team as well. I know Micaela was very excited to have her.
[email protected]