One event stands above the rest for Lou Lopez Sénéchal
For the first time in her life, Lopez Sénéchal's father got to see her play in person.
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UConn women’s basketball to play in 2023 Cayman Islands Classic
2023 WNBA Draft: Lou Lopez Sénéchal selected fifth overall by Dallas Wings
2023 WNBA Draft: Dorka Juhász selected 16th overall by Minnesota Lynx
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After remarkable year, one event stands above the rest for Lou Lopez Sénéchal
In the past year, Lou Lopez Sénéchal got something she’d been waiting her entire life for.
It wasn’t starring at a legendary program like UConn after spending the previous four seasons dominating in the dark at Fairfield. It wasn’t being taken in the WNBA Draft as the No. 5 overall pick by the Dallas Wings on Monday.
It had nothing to do with her own accomplishments.
It was playing in front of her father, seeing her in action live for the first time ever, at this year’s Big East Tournament.
“It was something that I've wanted for 17 years since I started playing basketball,” she said in March.
Born in Guadalajara, Mexico to Carlos Lopez and Sophie Sénéchal, Lou moved to France at the age of five with her mother while her father remained in Guadalajara, where he still lives.
In France, Lopez Sénéchal began her basketball career, which eventually took her to the United States, by way of the North Atlantic Basketball Academy in Ireland.
Despite limited Division I interest, Lopez Sénéchal landed at Fairfield, where she earned three All-MAAC First Team selections and won 2022 MAAC Player of the Year while leading the Stags to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2001.
Yet Lopez Sénéchal’s father could only watch her career unfold from afar.
“He was in Mexico so he never got a chance to come watch me in France or even here when I was at Fairfield before,” she explained.
As Lopez Sénéchal’s college days started to wind down, she and her father were determined to change that. They crafted a plan for both him and Lopez Sénéchal’s sister, Mia, to travel to Connecticut for the Big East Tournament.
“We talked about it a lot because it was a dream for both of us to make it happen,” she said. “Knowing that this was gonna be my last year in college… [we wanted] to make it count for the last year and try to make it possible to for him and my sister to come.”
Mia arrived early to surprise Lopez Sénéchal for senior night while her father made it in for the Big East Tournament. Across the three games, she averaged 14.0 points per game as UConn won and hoisted the trophy at Mohegan Sun Arena.
On a day off after the tournament, Lopez Sénéchal spent a day in New York City with them.
“It was the first time for them to be there so I tried to just have as much time as possible with them while still focusing on what we had to do here,” she said.
All of it left a lasting impact on both Lopez Sénéchal and her father.
“Dreams do come true,” she wrote on Instagram. “I’ll never forget the feeling of seeing my family in the stands.”
“That was a life experience that was unique and wonderful to be present and by your side,” he replied in the comments. “So proud of you.”
Now that Lopez Sénéchal is set to embark on her professional career, she’s hopeful that her father can make it to more games in the future. As a new member of the Dallas Wings, she’s about as close as she can get to Mexico. It’s still a sizable distance but it’s certainly shorter than the trip to Connecticut.
“Hopefully he's gonna see me again as a pro,” Lopez Sénéchal said.
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Lou and Dorka... two exceptional, intelligent and mature young women. Their generous spirits and vivacious personalities helped to hold this team together during a challenging campaign.
Has a more mature, classy human being/brilliant athlete come thru the UConn Women's program? Probably - but I'd have a hard time naming one.