CLICK HERE for all of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content
We hope you are ready for a season unlike any other: testing, distancing, and bubbles, oh my! Nobody knows exactly what is going to happen, when it is going to happen, or whether anything actually will happen…but in the meantime we will try to restore some order with season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. We commence our coverage with Fairfield JR F Lou Lopez-Senechal. She grew up in France, prepped in Ireland, was named MAAC ROY in 2019, and was the only sophomore named to the All-MAAC 1st-team in 2020. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Lou about making a buzzer-beater last fall and her expectations for this year.
You were born in Mexico/raised in France: how did you 1st get into basketball, and how big a deal is the sport in France? My dad is Mexican and my mom is French. I moved to France when I was 5 and started playing basketball around age 8: it became 1 of my big passions. Basketball is a pretty big deal in France.
Are you friends with any of the men’s D-1 players who came here from France (Yves Pons at Tennessee/Olivier Sarr at Kentucky/other)? I played for a small club in France so I do not really know any of the players who came to the US from bigger club teams: I just know them by name.
As a teenager you played for the North Atlantic Basketball Academy: how did you like Ireland? At age 19 I moved there for 1 year of prep before trying to get a scholarship to a school in the US. It was a last-minute choice but it was 1 of my best years so far. The people were awesome and the academy was really good and helped me improve. I also learned English, which is a huge advantage now.
What made you choose Fairfield? I visited 5 different schools and Fairfield was the best 1. The environment was great and my parents liked it as well: it was easier for them to fly here and visit me without having to make a lot of flight connections. The coaches were very welcoming and made me feel really comfortable.
In 2019 you led the team with 11.8 PPG and were named MAAC ROY: how were you able to win the award despite missing the 1st 9 games of the season? It was a great accomplishment for me and not something I was expecting after missing so many games. There was a bit of a language barrier and I had some hard times but my teammates/coaches helped me through them. The difference between my 1st and 2nd games was huge and led me to becoming ROY. It was awesome to receive that award.
Last November you scored 13 PTS including a jump shot with 0.4 seconds left in a 2-PT win at LIU: did you think the shot was going in, and where does that rank among the highlights of your career? It was actually the 1st buzzer-beater of my entire career! It was 1 of the best feelings: it was not a pretty game but I just made 1 of the moves that I had practiced. I was pretty confident that my shot would go in and it was a big relief when it did.
Last spring you were named to the MAAC All-Academic Team: how do you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? I know it can be hard for international students, especially at a school with high standards like Fairfield, but having a good base of English and understanding what I had to do made it easier. It takes time management/organization to balance school/practice/sleeping/eating so I made a schedule and did everything at the right time. It becomes a rhythm in your life and it is easy to balance everything once you create a routine.
You ranked top-3 in the conference in FT% during each of your 1st 2 years: what is the secret to making FTs? I knew I had a good percentage but did not know that stat! I always finish practices by making 10 FTs in a row. They are really important because they can help win a game and nobody is defending you. It is just a routine and I practice them every day.
In the 2020 MAAC tourney quarterfinals you had 19 PTS/10 REB in a win over Siena but had your postseason cut short after your semifinal game against Marist was canceled due to the coronavirus: what was your reaction when you 1st heard the news, and do you think that it was the right decision? It was really really hard. I knew that COVID was impacting the entire country but I did not think it would happen like that right after our game. It affected all of my teammates: I was coming back from an interview and felt really bad for our seniors. Everyone was tearing up/crying and all of the other teams/families were really down because they were losing their dreams. It was tough for a few weeks but COVID is having a really big impact and we need to understand the risk. I understand the choice that was made to stop all competition: we just have to deal with it and think about the future.
Last year you were the only sophomore named to the All-MAAC 1st-team: what are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? I just hope that we have a season! I am trying to stay positive and have been waiting for 6 months to come back to campus and see my teammates. The team/coaches have been waiting for this and if we have a season then I think we will be really good. Personally I want to become better and improve my game: my teammates make me more confident so becoming conference POY would be awesome. Having fun is the most important thing…as is winning a championship.