2023 WNBA Draft: Lou Lopez Sénéchal selected fifth overall by Dallas Wings

UConn’s Lou Lopez Sénéchal came off the board with the fifth pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft to the Dallas Wings. No mock draft had her being taken higher than seventh while some didn’t even project her to be a first-round pick.

“This is unbelievable for me to be doing this right now,” Lopez Sénéchal told reporters afterward.

It’s been a meteoric rise for the Grenoble, France native. At this time last year, Lopez Sénéchal still hadn’t graduated from Fairfield and wouldn’t commit to UConn for almost two more weeks.

After three All-MAAC First Team selections and 2022 All-MAAC Player of the Year honors during her four-year career with the Stags, Lopez Sénéchal took full advantage of her time in Storrs. She started every game for the Huskies, averaging 15.5 points per contest while shooting a team-high 44.0 percent from three.

“She was able to showcase what she can do at UConn this past season,” ESPN’s Rebecca Lobo said prior to the draft.

In a season filled with injuries and absences, Lopez Sénéchal proved to be a rock for UConn. She reached double figures in all but five games and put up 25 points in the Huskies’ Sweet Sixteen loss to Ohio State despite dealing with a knee injury. Lopez Sénéchal earned All-Big East First Team honors at the conclusion of the regular season.

At fifth overall, Lopez Sénéchal is UConn’s highest pick since 2019, when Katie Lou Samuelson went No. 4. She’s the 27th Husky taken in the first round and 44th overall.