Some days, Lou Lopez Sénéchal can’t believe the journey she’s taken to get to this point in her career. She started as an overlooked prospect from overseas, wound up at a mid-major, then became one of the players that the UConn Huskies relied on the most.
And now, she’s got a shot at the WNBA.
“It’s going to hit me later,” Lopez Sénéchal told ESPN. “There’s so many things [that have happened] this year it’s almost like you don’t have time to sit back and think about what actually happened here.
“[This was] one of the best years of my life here, and all the people that I’ve met and all the memories that I’ve created and all the experiences I’ve had … I think that really takes over all the little negative things.”
During that year, Lopez Sénéchal turned herself into a projected first-round draft pick (Just Women’s Sports currently places her at No. 10 overall, going to the Los Angeles Sparks), averaging 15.5 points per game and shooting 44% from beyond the arc. If you ask UConn coach Geno Auriemma, Lopez Sénéchal is “going to make a great pro for somebody.”
“I always think the later you go in the draft, the better team you get to play on,” he told ESPN. “People all want to be the No. 1 pick or No. 2 pick or No. 3 pick. Good. You’re going to a team that can’t win and you’re expected to do all the things to help them win. For some people, that’s great. I like to think that for players like Lou, if she gets on a really good team, she’s going to make a difference, 100 percent.”
Other basketball analysts, including LaChina Robinson, have seen the skills Lopez Sénéchal possesses and thinks they can translate to the next level.
“I’m really high on Lou Lopez Sénéchal,” Robinson said. “Big wing, can really shoot this three, can drive, has a lot of toughness, you know, can come off screens and make decisions, got mid range pull up off the bounce. And size matters, at 6-foot-1 to be able to play that wing position, so I think a lot of teams are very interested in her. I can see her going anywhere from late first round to early second.”
For her part, while Lopez Sénéchal “can’t believe” how far she’s come, she’s ready for whatever comes next.
“I’m ready for this next dream,” Lopez Sénéchal says. “I always say there’s never a perfect path, a perfect way. There’s your way.”