Claudia Brassard-Riebesehl
{{short description|Canadian basketball player (born 1975)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Claudia Brassard-Riebesehl
| image =
| caption =
| height_cm = 182
| weight_kg = 74
| position = Head coach
| league = NBL1 North
| team = Townsville Flames
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1975|3|3}}
| birth_place = Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| nationality = Canadian
| high_school =
| college = SMU (1995–1999)
| draft_league = WNBA
| draft_year = 1999
| career_start = 1999
| career_end = 2007, 2017
| career_position = Forward
| coach_start = 2013
| years1 = 1999–2000
| team1 = ABC Limoges
| years2 = 2002–2007
| team2 = Townsville Fire
| years3 = 2017
| team3 = Townsville Flames
| cyears1 = 2013–2016
| cteam1 = Townsville Fire (assistant)
| cyears2 = 2016–2019
| cteam2 = Townsville Fire
| cyears3 = 2018
| cteam3 = Townsville Heat (assistant)
| cyears4 = 2024
| cteam4 = Townsville Flames (stand-in)
| cyears5 = 2025–present
| cteam5 = Townsville Flames
| highlights =
As head coach:
As assistant coach:
- 2× WNBL champion (2015, 2016)
}}
Claudia Melati Brassard-Riebesehl (born 3 March 1975) is a Canadian basketball coach and former player. She played for the Townsville Fire of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) and later served as assistant and head coach of the team. She competed for the Canada women's national basketball team at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Early life
Brassard was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/br/claudia-brassard-riebesehl-1.html |archivedate=18 April 2020 |accessdate=12 July 2012 |title=Archived copy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418023038/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/br/claudia-brassard-riebesehl-1.html |url-status=dead }} Her hometown was Saint-Hilarion, Quebec.{{cite news |title=BASKETBALL |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/basketball/article4162892/ |access-date=25 January 2025 |work=The Globe and Mail |date=24 April 2000 |language=en-CA}}
College career
Brassard played college basketball in the United States for the SMU Mustangs between 1995 and 1999.{{cite web |title=Claudia Brassard College Stats |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/claudia-brassard-1.html |website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com |access-date=25 January 2025 |language=en}}
Professional career
Brassard's first professional season in 1999–2000 was spent with ABC Limoges of the French Ligue Féminine de Basketball.{{cite web |title=Les Equipes du Championnat 1999-2000 de La Ligue Feminine |url=https://riva.perso.univ-pau.fr/basket/S00/teams00.htm |website=riva.perso.univ-pau.fr |access-date=25 January 2025}}
Brassard moved to Australia in 2002 to play for the Townsville Fire of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL).{{cite news |title=Brassard steps down from the Fire |url=https://wnbl.basketball/townsville/news/breakingnews/ |access-date=25 January 2025 |work=Townsville Fire |date=15 May 2019}} She played five seasons for the Fire, including captaining the team in 2004–05, 2005–06 and 2006–07.{{cite web |title=History |url=https://wnbl.basketball/townsville/history/ |website=Townsville Fire |access-date=25 January 2025}}
In 2017, Brassard came out of retirement to help the Townsville Flames in the Queensland Basketball League (QBL).{{cite news |last1=Thompson |first1=Michael |title=Fire coach to takes on charges in Flames v Mackay showdown |url=https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/sport/fire-coach-to-takes-on-charges-in-flames-v-mackay-showdown/news-story/56c2cf41c655f8ab3270ab29b3c8e1e9 |access-date=25 January 2025 |work=townsvillebulletin.com.au |date=11 May 2017 |language=en}}
National team career
Brassard competed for the Canada women's national basketball team at the 2000 Summer Olympics and 2006 FIBA World Championship.{{cite web |title=Claudia Melati Brassard Riebesehl (Canada) - Basketball Stats, Height, Age {{!}} FIBA Basketball |url=https://www.fiba.basketball/en/players/131900-claudia-melati-brassard-riebesehl |website=www.fiba.basketball |access-date=25 January 2025 |language=en |date=24 January 2025}}
Coaching career
Brassard served as the Townsville Fire's senior assistant between 2013 and 2016 before being appointed head coach for the 2016–17 WNBL season, where she led the Fire to the semi-finals. In the 2017–18 season, she guided the Fire to a 2–1 grand final series victory over the Melbourne Boomers to win the WNBL championship. She stepped down as head coach following the 2018–19 season.
In 2018, Brassard joined the Townsville Heat men's team as assistant coach for the QBL finals.{{cite news |last1=Slatter |first1=Trent |title=Fire coach Claudia Brassard set for assistant role with men's QBL side |url=https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/sport/fire-coach-claudia-brassard-set-for-assistant-role-with-mens-qbl-side/news-story/346a27e3c6122e1e020456f05a273fda?amp |access-date=25 January 2025 |work=townsvillebulletin.com.au |date=26 July 2018}}
In 2018, Brassard served as assistant coach of the Australian Gems at the FIBA Under-18 Women's Asian Championship.{{cite news |last1=Slatter |first1=Trent |title=Assistant Mark Wrobel takes reins as head coach for Townsville Fire for next two WNBL home games |url=https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/sport/assistant-mark-wrobel-takes-reins-as-head-coach-for-townsville-fire-for-next-two-wnbl-home-games/news-story/bf7adecd68197f2beb61e6215ca93da8?amp |access-date=25 January 2025 |work=townsvillebulletin.com.au |date=25 October 2018}} She continued as assistant with the Gems at the 2019 FIBA Under-19 Women's Basketball World Cup.{{cite news |title=Gems ready to take on World at FIBA U-19 World Cup |url=https://www.australia.basketball/news/3338587/gems-ready-to-take-on-world-at-fiba-u19-world-cup |access-date=25 January 2025 |work=www.australia.basketball |date=19 July 2019 |language=en}}
Brassard coached the Townsville Flames in a handful of games during the 2024 NBL1 North season when head coach James Rapinett was unavailable. She was subsequently appointed head coach of the Flames for the 2025 season.{{cite news |title=Claudia Brassard's new challenge |url=https://nbl1.com.au/article/claudia-brassard-s-new-challenge |access-date=25 January 2025 |work=nbl1.com.au |date=25 January 2025}}
Personal life
Brassard holds Canadian, German, Malaysian and Australian nationality.
Brassard's husband, Mike St-Maurice, was coach of the Townsville Flames of the QBL in 2017.
In 2024, Brassard was appointed deputy chair of Basketball Queensland.{{cite news |title=BQ News {{!}} Leadership Transition at BQ: Fiona Allen Takes Over as Julie George Steps Down |url=https://www.queensland.basketball/resources/news/leadership-transition-at-bq-fiona-allen-takes-over-as-julie-george-steps-down |access-date=25 January 2025 |work=www.queensland.basketball |date=3 July 2024 |language=en}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://olympic.ca/team-canada/claudia-brassard-riebesehl/ Team Canada profile]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brassard-Riebesehl, Claudia}}
Category:Basketball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Category:Canada women's national basketball team players
Category:Canadian women's basketball players
Category:Forwards (basketball)
Category:Olympic basketball players for Canada
Category:Sportspeople from Kuala Lumpur
Category:Townsville Fire coaches