Drummondville Basketball Player: NCAA Success Story

Quebec basketball players who knock on the door of the prestigious American university sports association, the NCAA, are rare. It is a circuit often reserved for American athletes, who are directly in the recruiters’ court.

Drummondville resident Alexia Lauzon has never been intimidated by these odds. She will have her place next year among the Pioneers of Sacred Heart University au Connecticut.

And it is not for just any team that Alexia will play in the NCAA. THE Pioneers it is are nothing less than a first division team, the best caliber on the circuit.

The University of Connecticut is already proud to have recruited this Quebec player who measures 1.9 meters, or six feet three inches. She was the first of the new cohort to be the subject of a recruitment announcement from the establishment.

They were the ones who contacted me. They contacted my agent to tell her that they wanted to speak with me. We called each other, we talked for several hours and even over several days, then they told me they were offering me a full scholarship after about two weeks during which they came to see me a few timesshe says.

They told me they would be really happy to have me on the team.

After these calls, Alexia was invited to spend some time there, at the University Sacred Hearta question of discovering the environment that will be his home next fall.

I really enjoyed the campus. It’s very beautiful, I felt loved. I did a photoshoot and then they walked me through what to expect if I chose to go there. I finally made the decision to commit to it.

On the field, the Drummondvilloise should play in the strong winger and center positions. She will therefore be mainly used near the basket in addition to having important responsibilities in the transition from defense to attack.

They want me inside [NDLR : près du panier] because of my size and my finishing qualities. They also like my footwork and want to see me take three-point shots. I will be a versatile playershe explains.

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From Drummondville to Connecticut, a path that makes you proud

It is not without a sense of duty accomplished that Alexia takes this new step in her career. She doesn’t hide it, it’s a rare feat that she is achieving.

The little girl who started playing basketball at four years old is very happy. It has always been a dream of mine to play in the United States. Coming from Drummondville, the process has always been seen as a little more complex. The girls [qui réussissent] often come from Montreal or Quebec. For me, coming from a lesser-known city, it was a more difficult dream to achieve.

I’m already really proud to have come from a long way away and to have gotten to where I am, to Ontario, and to soon be going to play in NCAA Division 1. I’ve wanted this forever.

To say that Alexia has basketball in her blood would be an understatement. Her father and mother practiced this sport before instilling this passion in their daughter from her second year of primary school. The sound of the basket would never leave her after that.

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From her first to her third year of high school, in the Riverains uniform of Marie-Rivier high school, she continued her progress. She was then recruited by the Séminaire Saint-François de Québec to complete her secondary education.

At that time we were the best team in Quebec. We won against CEGEPs! We also beat teams in the United States, we did a lot of traveling.

Today, it is at the Capital Courts Academy in Ottawa that Lauzon performs while waiting for his big departure to Connecticut. This move may take her out of Centre-du-Québec for good, but she assures that she will keep a special place in her heart for the place where it all started.

For me, it remains my hometown, my first high school. I will never forget where my passion was born.

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On the way to the professionals?

If one were to plot a classic path to the Women’s National Basketball Association on a map, the WNBAit would look a lot like the one Alexia is taking. The division she is about to join represents the best springboard in the world towards a career among the pros.

I’m really excited because it’s also a dream of mine. I told myself that if I managed to join the division, I was going to do my best to play pro. […] To tell myself that I’m getting closer and closer to any basketball girl’s ultimate dream, I believe that anything is possibleshe exclaims.

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Alexia is enjoying one last classic holiday season for a while. She will be well settled in the comfort of her native Drummondville alongside her parents.

I’m going to enjoy my week and a half at home in peace. Both my parents are really proud, they who have seen me evolve throughout my career, from my first teams until now. They have seen me grow as a person and are happy that I have this opportunityshe concludes.